#Oscarpiastrifanfic
Chapter 3
CHAPTER SUMMARY: You’ve reached your breaking point with Oscar, but an unfortunate grand prix changes everything you thought you wanted.
WORD COUNT: 10.3k
WARNINGS: Conversations about sex and but no actual smut, degradation, angst. Mentions of cheating. Oscar is literally horrible. Mention of unhealthy family dynamics. Lots of cursing. Pain, so much pain. Mention of injury. I’m so sorry for all the emotional suffering this chapter will cause.
TAGLIST: @at-a-rax-ia @henna006 @linnygirl09 @cassielikereading @judelina @supertrashbread @fastandcurious16 @widow-cevans @czennieszn @irisesinthegarden @wierdflowerpower @sweetwh0re @reginalaufeyson-holmes @honethatty12 @suns3treading @obxstiles @mimiastroos @mrs-reeves-17 @milkysoop @amalialeclerc @starksztony @llando4norris @ginsengi @angxlzinthesky
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Accept message request from Lando_Norris?
Your fingers hovered over the “accept” button, nervous but curious. What would Lando ever want to talk to you about?
He had avoided you like the plague since that night in Italy, and you hardly blamed him. But as far as you knew, no one except you and Nicole knew that Lily was no longer in the picture; still, what would have changed to cause Lando Norris, of all people, to be messaging you at night?
“Who are you texting?”
You jumped, not having noticed that Oscar had turned over to face you, seemingly unable to sleep.
“No one,” you said. “Just scrolling.”
Oscar confirmed your suspicions. “I can’t sleep.”
“Me neither,” you said, short and annoyed.
Oscar didn’t respond, instead just moving on top of you, holding your chin in his hands to force you to look at him.
“You can’t even sleep until I fuck you like the little whore you are, huh?” He leaned down to kiss your neck, lips grazing over where only hours before he had left dark marks in the supple skin.
“Get off me, Oscar,” you said, and he immediately pulled back.
“You okay?” he asked.
You weren’t okay. In fact, you were furious. “You realize that you never even asked me if I was okay with you talking to me like that?”
The look in his eyes said only two words: Oh shit.
“YN, I… I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think of it like that. Shit, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I shouldn’t have to tell you to treat me with respect.”
“I thought you liked it?” he said, running his fingers through his hair out of nervousness.
You sat up, the anger burning within you. You hadn’t planned to confront Oscar so soon after what you had overheard, but now that you’d gotten started, there was no stopping you.
“That’s not the point. Maybe I’m tired of feeling like your personal sex toy, Oscar. Oh, but I forgot. My feelings aren’t your problem.”
Oscar exhaled angrily. “Is that really what this is about?”
You just looked at him, bewildered. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” you asked.
He began, “Look, I don’t know what you think you heard—”
“I heard you talking shit about me on the phone to your own mother.”
“It wasn’t like that, YN.”
“Then what was it like? What’s your excuse now?”
Oscar tried to begin, his mouth opening with no words coming out. He truly didn’t know what to say. “It’s been a hard time.”
“I know. I’m well aware, Oscar. Because I made your feelings my problem for years.”
“I know, and I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life—”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses anymore.”
“I’m not making excuses. I’m just trying to explain it to you.”
“Of course, you want to talk now that I won’t give you sex anymore,” you said, rolling your eyes.
“Oh my God,” Oscar huffed, and it took every ounce of your strength not to curse him out then and there. “You act like I’m some fucking villian. You can’t get mad at me for fucking you when you wanted this too.”
“But how do you know that, Oscar? How do you know what I want? Have you ever asked me what I want?” Tears began prickling at the edge of your eyes. “You haven’t, because you don’t care.”
Oscar looked at the wall, his jaw tense. “I’m not doing this right now.”
“Am I not even deserving of an honest conversation?” you said, the tears now flowing down your cheeks. It had been years since he’d seen you cry, but Oscar wouldn’t even look at you.
You got up from the bed and started changing from your pajamas to your regular clothes. “If you don’t want to talk, fine. I can’t make you. But I’m going home.”
“YN—”
“Leave me alone,” you said, grabbing your purse and exiting the bedroom. You heard him call for you again, but you ignored his pleas, walking ahead out of the apartment and to your car.
When you slid into the driver’s seat, you finally broke down, resting your head against the steering wheel. No thoughts went through your head. You weren’t much of a crier, so when you finally gave in, it was more of an act of your body giving up.
So you took a few minutes to compose yourself before driving the short distance home through the streets of Monaco, a place you’d grown to love. But his presence was everywhere. The car. The streets. Your apartment. Oscar was inescapable.
And when you felt your phone buzz as you sat with a cup of tea on the balcony an hour or so later, this reality was confirmed. He was calling.
You didn’t answer the first call, or the second. But by the third you knew that your only options were to turn your phone off, block him, or answer.
Well, what did you have to lose?
“What do you want?” you asked upon picking up the call.
“I’m sorry, YN. Can we talk?”
“Say whatever you’re going to say.”
He paused. “In person? I’m in the hallway.”
“I don’t know…”
“Please?” he asked. You sighed. Why could you never say no to this man?
“Fine. Give me a sec.” You hung up the call, took another deep breath, and opened the front door before immediately turning around to go back to your balcony. You couldn’t bear to look at him, and you welcomed the sound of the soft waves lapping at the harbor as a buffer.
He sat down beside you, and even before any words were said, you felt the tears returning. Something about this felt…final. And your intuition had hardly ever been wrong before.
“YN, I’m so sorry. When I get frustrated I say things I don’t mean. I was really out of line earlier.”
“Thank you,” you whispered, unable to truly accept his apology.
He continued, “And you’re right. I shouldn’t have just assumed that all the rough stuff was okay. And I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
You waited a moment for him to continue speaking, but he didn’t. “Is that all you have to say?”
“I just…don’t know what else you want me to say.” You looked over to him. His head was hung low, like a child in trouble at school. Not like a man who was taking accountability for his actions.
“You really don’t get it, do you?”
“What?” he asked.
You just stared at him for a moment, gathering the courage to ask your question.
“Did you talk to Lily like that?”
“Huh?” he echoed.
“Did you call her all those names? Degrade her?”
“Don’t ask me that.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s…personal. I don’t think Lily would appreciate me talking about it.”
“She didn’t appreciate me being in your life, either. But look how that turned out,” you said, the malice lingering on every word.
Your statement cut a little too deep for comfort. But Oscar finally relented, answering, “...I would, sometimes. She didn’t care for it. But I just…get frustrated a lot. It helps me get all that pent up energy out. Half the time I don’t even think about what I’m saying.”
You hummed. The implication of his words hung in the air; you were a relief for his frustration, a thoughtless passtime.
When you didn’t respond, he got nervous. “Did I…hurt you?”
“Not physically, no,” you answered, your eyes never moving from the sight of the harbor in the distance. “But I don’t think you really care.”
“Of course I care.”
“No, you don’t.” Your lip quivered. You tried to swallow the tears that came up, but you couldn’t.
“No, don’t cry,” Oscar said, reaching out to embrace you, but you avoided him, getting up to lean on the railing. He followed you, this time not offering any comforting touch.
“What the fuck are we doing, Oscar?” you said, barely able to get the words out. He grasped for words but wasn’t able to find them before the flood of emotions spilled from you.
You began, “I used to think that the fabric of our lives was…like, sewn together. Like we were destined to always be in each other's lives. But ever since the breakup I’m so afraid that everyone who ever warned me about you was right. I feel like all these years you’ve just been using me, stringing me along so you could have someone there when things don’t work out. Like I’m just your backup plan. Like I’m not even good enough for you to treat me like a human being.”
“You really feel like I’m using you?” Oscar asked, his surprise horrifically genuine. “Was I just using you when I went out of my way to call you every week for 4 years when I was away in school, even during exams and races? When I got you this place because I wanted to live close to my best friend?” His tone went from gentle to frenzied—not angry, but desperate, like he couldn’t even fathom it. “I mean, YN, what, did you want me to cheat on my girlfriend with you?”
You looked up at him, and he realized again that he had messed up again.
“No, that’s not what I wanted. I’d never do that to Lily because you know it’s been done to me.”
“I know, and was I not there for you when you needed me?” In a way, Oscar was right. When you had broken things off with your unfaithful ex, Oscar was the first to your rescue, staying with you for days while you could barely even function. “YN, what else do you want from me?”
“I want you to be honest about what’s going on between us.”
“We’re…. hooking up, I don’t know.”
“Is that all I am to you, a hookup? A friend with benefits?” Your soft tears became full on sobs now. “Oscar, I am in love with you! You are the love of my life. And you can’t tell me that you haven’t known exactly how I felt, for years now.”
“Of course I knew,” he whispered.
“Then why would you do this to me? Why would you take advantage of me like this?”
Oscar had started crying now, too.
“I don’t know. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“This isn’t fair, Oscar.”
“I’m sorry.”
A thick silence fell over the balcony. You knew that the conversation should be over now. There was nothing else you needed to say. But you couldn’t stop yourself from continuing the pointless hurt.
“Do you even love me?”
“Don’t—”
“Can you even look me in the fucking eyes and tell me that you don’t love me?”
“YN—”
You didn’t even let him complete his sentence, instead walking back into your apartment and slamming our now cold mug into the sink. “Just go,” you said, your voice stern.
“YN, please—” Oscar said, following you inside the apartment.
“Go!”
“You want the truth?” Oscar said, raising his voice to you for the first time since you’d ever known him. His eyes now flooded with tears, staining his cheeks. His hair was tousled, his under eye bags puffy and pronounced. He looked like a mess.
“All I’ve ever wanted is the truth.”
“The truth,” he began, swallowing, his voice cracking as he spoke. “The truth is that I’ve been in love with you since we were sixteen.”
“No—”
“Yes, YN,” he said, his voice raising again.
“No, fuck you, Oscar, that’s not true!” You were both sobbing messes now.
“Yes it is,” he begged, his voice ragged.
“Then why would you do this?”
“Because…” he paused, taking a deep breath and sniffling, trying to regain his composure. “Because we were best friends, and you lived with us, and I was so scared of fucking things up.”
“So you went and just found a girlfriend instead?”
“No, it…” he looked away from you and took a sharp exhale. “It wasn’t as simple as that. You…” He let out a frustrated sigh. “It was just…complicated. You were the girl who lived with us, like another sister, I mean, I couldn’t have feelings for you of all people. So I was so scared.”
He looked at the wall, scarating his neck, and continued. “And when I met Lily, it was all just…simple. Everyone liked her, she was nice, she’s smart. When I brought her home she fit right in, the fans loved her. She was everything I needed her to be, y’know?” He exhaled.
His gaze fell to the floor and lingered as he continued. “I didn’t love her at first. I mean, I liked her, she was great, but it was more about just…filling a need, I guess. But I did fall in love with her later. I tried to love her with my whole heart, I really did. I thought that what I felt for you would just go away but obviously it didn’t. And then she fucking left me. As she should, honestly.”
Oscar nervously looked around the room until he could no longer avoid your piercing gaze, face frozen in disbelief.
“You’re horrible, Oscar.”
“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“You used me. You used Lily. And all of this from the very beginning was about… my family? I’m sorry you all had to take me in because no one else would. I’m sorry I didn’t go to a fancy boarding school in London. I’m sorry that my parents are two pieces of shit that didn't want to take care of me when I was a literal child.”
“It’s not that—”
“But it is. That’s what you said.”
“It’s not you, YN. I mean, it was, but we’re not kids anymore. I love you. It was just… awful circumstances.”
“And now? What’s your excuse? I cut off my parents. And Lily fucking left you. So why are you just using me now?”
“It’s just too much right now. The breakup, the championship…I know if I try, I’ll just fuck it up. I lost Lily, I can’t lose you too.”
“Why? Because then you’ll have no one to warm your bed when you’re sad?”
“You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone that you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with!”
“You’re right, I don’t. Because the person I want to spend the rest of my life with is you, Oscar. But you don’t want me. You never have. I’m your backup plan until something better comes along. That’s all I’ve ever been. I’m not good enough for you, you don’t love me. I don’t even know who you are any more.”
“You said I was the love of your life,” Oscar said, his voice lowered now.
“You are. But I’m not yours. I don’t care what you say you feel. If you really love someone, you don’t treat them like that.”
“I’m so sorry. That’s all I can say.”
You let out a shaky breath, exhausted of all energy from the fighting. You didn’t even have it in you to be angry anymore.
“We shouldn’t do this. We should just go our separate ways and be done with it.”
“No, YN—”
“You have a championship to focus on, don’t you?” you said.
“You’re my best friend,” he said through his tears. “I need you.”
“I’ll finish out my employment contract through the end of the season. You can sell the apartment. I’ll pay back Mum for anything she had to spend on me when we were younger.”
“YN, please,” he begged.
“Don’t, Oscar,” you said, your voice soft now. “Just let me go.”
“Can I kiss you?”
The correct answer should be no. You should have told him to get the fuck out of your apartment and never come back. But it was Oscar.
You didn’t answer him, instead just walking up to him and embracing him, letting him hold you in his strong arms as his lips met yours one last time. His lips were salty with tears, but for once his touch was soft and gentle.
When you pulled away, he stayed close to you, pressing his forehead down to yours. “I love you,” he whispered.
“Go home. You’ve got a flight to catch in the morning.”
You could call in sick to the United States Grand Prix in Miami; Oscar could not.
Well, theoretically, he could. God knows the reserve drivers would be happy to take his place and show off in front of the teams that were always scouring for new blood. But he couldn’t back down now. Not with a trophy looming so ominously over his head.
And especially not in Miami. Everyone hated Miami. Everyone except Lando, that is.
And as Oscar mindlessly paced the paddock back and forth, praying to God that no journalists would pester him for an interview, he couldn’t escape the reminder of his teammate’s victory.
“Well, things seem to be heating up here in Miami! The race continues between McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in this early battle for the World Driver’s Championship. Piastri is putting in a valiant effort, but who can forget Lando Norris’ first victory here last year? It’s incredible to see how far he has come in such a short amount of time—”
He really needed to stop walking past the commentator’s box.
This is usually when Oscar would try to find you in the paddock, or send you a text from halfway across the world. But he couldn’t do that anymore; you hadn’t quite barred him from communication, but what could he say?
He just needed to focus. Perform. Drown himself in the work. That’s what he told himself as he made his way back to the McLaren garage, away from the prying eyes of the media and the haunting words of the commentators. That’s what he told himself as he slipped on a set of headphones and nodded along as his race engineer spoke, acting as if he was paying attention.
That’s what he told himself as he climbed into the car, took a deep breath, and pressed his foot to the gas.
Thousands of miles away, in Monaco, you were supposed to be having dinner. Actually, you were supposed to be in Miami, taking photos of Oscar in all his glory.
But you couldn’t face him. You couldn’t eat. You couldn’t even sleep.
In the corner of your living room sat a box with Oscar’s old stuff in it. You stared at it as if it had the eyes to stare back. Your hand mindlessly swirled your fork around your remaining food, now cold and mostly uneaten.
Why did this feel like a breakup?
You wanted to scream, but you’d already gotten noise complaints from the fight days prior. So instead, your apartment was deadly quiet.
You sighed, moving to your bedroom and collapsing in the soft covers, having decided to give up and indulge yourself with a night of bed rotting. But even your bed felt empty. The sheets held a faint trace of Oscar’s scent. It would come out with a simple wash, but laundry was the furthest thing from your mind right now.
You needed a distraction. You grabbed your phone and immediately went to social media to mindlessly scroll.
But in your notifications was one you had nearly forgotten about: that message request from Lando.
You opened it without even thinking, unfortunately sending the read receipt even though you weren’t in the mood to talk to anyone right now.
Hey, not to be weird but do you know if anything’s going on with Oscar? He’s been acting odd recently.
You groaned in frustration. You couldn’t escape your best friend.
The message was sent a while ago—when the pair were in Bahrain, actually. You should have just deleted it and acted as if you never saw it. But you felt horribly awkward leaving Lando on read.
Yeah, he and Lily broke up :(
Was the frown really necessary? Should you say more? You didn’t have the energy to think, sending the message without much fanfare. You locked your phone and put it back on your nightstand.
But only a few moments later, it buzzed. Another message from Lando.
But…Lando was in Miami? At the circuit? He should be driving, not texting you. You opened your phone and clicked on the notification.
Damn, that’s rough. I thought they were endgame. You in the paddock?
You raised an eyebrow. Why would Lando Norris, of all people, want to know where you are?
No, I’m back in Monaco.
Another nearly instant reply. Ah, I was hoping to make a cameo on Oscar’s Instagram haha. You’ll be at Imola though?
This whole interaction felt…weird.
I will! I’ll be sure to get some good team shots lol
You tried to match his energy with your reply, but you couldn’t shake the odd feeling that this wasn’t right. But as you finally did put your phone down and retire for the night, your mind kept racing, coming to wildly different conclusions.
Maybe Lando did want to be friends. Maybe, now that Lily was out of the picture, he felt more comfortable around you. Maybe he was just trying to smooth things over with Oscar in the championship battle. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Or maybe you were so used to Oscar’s lying and manipulation that you couldn’t imagine someone talking to you just for the sake of friendship.
You huffed to yourself as the thought crossed your mind. You pulled your blanket up and buried yourself in it, as if the thoughts were something physical you could hide from. You fell into a tense sleep.
Oscar couldn’t sleep, though. He could barely sleep back when he had you at his beck and call, let alone when you all weren’t speaking to each other.
How had he fucked up so badly? He brought his hands to his face and roughly exhaled. Like you, he had resigned himself to spend his night scrolling, until he too noticed an unanswered message.
Except it wasn’t from Lando. It was from Lily. As if things couldn’t get any worse.
She was brief and to the point.
I just wanted to let you know I’ll be at Imola for a company event. I doubt we’ll run into each other. Hope you and YN are well.
Her words stung. The professionalism where there once was warmth and love. The perfectly petty dig at him and you, assuming that he had already moved on (though, she wasn’t exactly wrong).
He wanted to throw his phone off his hotel room balcony. From the slight crack in the blinds, he could see palm trees, and the ocean far off in the distance. And he knew that back in Monaco, you’d be staring at the same moon, hearing the water in the distance as it lulled you to sleep. The miles between you during race weekends had always been numerous, but the distance wasn't—not until now, at least.
He slammed his phone on the nightstand and took yet another sleeping pill.
It was going to be a horrible week.
And, unfortunately, the morning wasn’t much better. Another oh so friendly interaction with his teammate.
“Hey, Oscar, wait up,” the Brit called, jogging to catch Oscar as they both entered the paddock. Oscar slowed his pace but didn’t stop, hopeful that this would be a clear sign that he wasn’t here for conversation.
When he did catch up, Oscar just gave Lando a small nod as a greeting.
“Hey, I, uh, heard about you and Lily. I’m so sorry, mate.”
Oscar turned, making a confused and irritated face. “Who told you?”
“YN. Well, I asked her if you were okay.”
The Aussie made a small grumbling noise.
“I was just worried, you know. You just seemed like you were going through some stuff. You know I’m always here if you need me, right?”
“I need to beat you,” Oscar said, but his words had no bite to them. There was no snappy anger anymore, just exhaustion.
“Of course,” Lando said, smiling, as if he thought his teammate’s championship ambitions were nothing more than comic relief. “But for real, man, I’m sorry and I’m here for you.”
“Thanks,” Oscar said, though he didn’t really mean it. He just wanted to be alone.
In Monaco, you were breaking your first cardinal rule of a breakup (even a friendship breakup) and turning on your TV to watch Oscar drive.
You had managed to go without watching the free practices and even quali, but you couldn’t bring yourself to not watch the Grand Prix.
And it was good that you tuned in, because he won.
You nearly threw your phone across the room when he finally passed the checkered flag. You had been practically holding your breath since he secured the lead in a masterfully timed pit stop mid race, beating out Max Verstappen to bring home his second win of the season.
So, maybe he wouldn’t hate Miami as much anymore.
Your phone—secured now on your nightstand to prevent any race-related breakage—loomed in the distance as you debated sending him a congrats text. It wasn’t like you all had gone through a true breakup; you weren’t even together. But you knew you couldn’t let yourself end up in his bed again. You knew that he was a broken man, and you couldn’t fix him.
So your friendship had come to occupy this odd liminal space in which neither of you knew exactly where you stood. At some point, this would have to be discussed, but clearly neither of you had learned your lesson on healthy communication.
You wanted to tell your best friend that you were proud of him. Was that such a bad thing?
It wouldn’t be, if you could ignore that voice now echoing in your mind.
Since when are her feelings my problem?
You nearly gagged at the thought. Yeah, you weren’t texting him.
And back in Miami, Oscar anxiously awaited a text that would never come.
“Oscar, mate, quit staring at your phone and let’s celebrate!” Lando teased, patting his teammate on the back.
Oscar just sighed, opening his phone again to find no messages from you.
“She’s not coming back,” Lando said. “So either you get drunk enough to call her, or you get drunk enough to find someone to replace her. Either way, you’re getting drunk tonight.”
“Really, Lando?”
“She destroyed a five year relationship over some stupid shit, and you just won another grand prix. So yes, I think you should get fucked up with me tonight!”
“Don’t talk about Lily like that, mate. And besides, I’m not even waiting on her.”
Lando raised an eyebrow. “Then who are you waiting on?”
Oscar’s defenses were wearing down, even while sober. “You know who.”
“And you still want me to believe that you two aren’t hooking up?”
“It’s…complicated.”
“Spill.”
Under normal circumstances, Oscar was never the type to discuss his personal life at work, much less with his rival for the championship. But as the plan of going out was abandoned in favor of a nice bottle of Cuban rum ordered to the room, Oscar found himself spilling his secrets like a teenage girl at a sleepover.
“And then I just…” he hiccuped, “I told her everything. And she didn’t believe me, and I don’t blame her, but it fucking hurt, you know? And we were just screaming at each other, she said we should go our separate ways. What am I supposed to say to that? And I still haven’t heard from her, but her and Lily are gonna be at Imola. I don’t know what the fuck I’m going to do.”
“Mate,” Lando said, slurring his words, “You fucked this up worse than I fucked up the championship last year.”
The two drivers laughed—otherwise, they’d have to cry at the peril poor Oscar had put himself in.
But the time flew by, and soon enough Oscar found himself on a flight to Italy, which he secretly prayed would crash so that he could avoid this entire charade.
Of course, on all your respective flights, the feeling was mutual; neither you, Oscar, nor Lily really wanted to be there. But duty called, and you were nothing if not professional.
It was an odd place to be; on one hand, you loved this job. It was fun getting to explore the world with your best friend and get paid to take pictures and make silly videos. The electric atmosphere of the paddock was one that had always felt like home, like you belonged there.
On the other hand, every time you thought about seeing Oscar again, you wanted to puke.
Thankfully, when you did inevitably see him again, your lunch did not resurface. You operated like a robot; no banter, no friendliness, just stark professionalism.
And Oscar didn’t know what was worse; not having you there, or seeing you act like a stranger.
The one silver lining, at least, was that Lily was nowhere to be found. He couldn’t handle those emotions too.
So, again and again throughout the weekend, he repeated that manta to himself: Just focus on work. Just focus on work.
He said it to himself one last time before he hopped in the car for qualifying. Just focus.
But he just couldn't. From the seat of his car, the chaos of the pit lane and the gaggles of photographers were just blurs, unidentifiable blobs. I had always comforted him to think that one of those was you, watching him. Now it was haunting.
And somewhere, buried away in the paddock, Lily was there. Oscar could imagine it; her polished and professional demeanor, almost perfect, as she schmoozed up to that one executive from the company that he swore always had a thing for her.
He wanted to scream. Instead, he had to pull the car into the garage as the session was stopped due to an accident. It was raining heavily. Extra caution was advised, his engineer explained, but Oscar couldn’t focus. Not because of his thoughts—although, those certainly didn’t help—but rather because of what he saw across the garage.
You were chatting with Lando.
“Hey, YN!” Lando greeted as he hopped out of his car, seeing you in the back of the garage taking photos. “It’s nice to see you.”
“You too,” you said, though it wasn’t particularly true.
“Looks like we’re going to be a while,” he said looking over his shoulder at the storm brewing in the distance, “want to walk the paddock with me and get some candids?”
“Sure,” you agreed, though the request confused you.
The two of you left the garage and Oscar felt like punching the wall.
At first you walked in silence, your only emitted sound being the soft click of your camera. It was kind of pointless, though, since you were supposed to be getting shots of Oscar. You knew this. Lando knew this too.
“Can I ask you something, Lando?”
“Yeah?”
“Is there any reason that you’ve been pretty…friendly lately?” you asked, controlling your tone so it came off as genuinely curious rather than suspicious.
“Honestly,” he laughed, scratching the back of his neck with nervousness, “I felt really bad about everything that happened on the trip. I was afraid I might’ve scared you off.”
Well, that didn’t make much sense. Lando was the one who had been avoiding you since the trip. But, after dealing with Oscar, you had simply accepted that men in general made no sense.
“You didn’t,” you said. “And, I mean, the only reason we ended up like that is because Lily was trying to get rid of me. But, you see how that worked out.”
“Really? She didn’t have the balls to tell you to leave her man alone?”
“Not until after you left,” you said, exhaling in exhaustion.
“Damn,” he said, looking away from you. You snapped a few photos of his candid side profile, admiring how the light hit his curls just right. “You know, the only reason I ran off in the club that night like that was because I didn’t want to get involved in all that? I mean, I wasn’t about to steal Oscar’s side chick.” He laughed. “But from what I hear, things have changed?”
You laughed. “Oscar’s side chick?”
Lando raised an eyebrow. “You weren’t sleeping together?”
“Why do you want to know?” you laughed. Was Lando…flirting with you? No. He couldn’t be. He was Lando Norris, the most notorious playboy of the 2025 grid.
“Aw, c’mon. I want to know the drama!” he teased, flashing his boyish smile.
“Well, what if I want to know your drama?” you teased back, taking the opportunity to snap a few photos of him as you continued walking.
“Psh, I’ve got no drama. Just keeping to myself, trying to win.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“You’re avoiding the question, YN,” he said, smirking. Holy shit, he was flirting with you. But did you really mind? It felt nice to have that playful banter, to see a man who wanted that back and forth more than he just wanted your body. What was wrong with having a little fun?
You sighed and told him the most technical version of the truth. “Oscar never cheated. But you really thought I was sleeping with Oscar and you didn’t say anything to Lily?”
“Wasn’t my business. Besides, I thought it was pretty obvious.” His comment left a bit of a sour taste in your mouth, especially knowing the fears that Lily had confessed to you so long ago.
“No, I wouldn’t do that to Lily,” you said, and it was true. After all, you were both women.
“And what about Oscar?”
You rolled your eyes. Having a nice conversation with Lando helped you remember how not nice your time with Oscar had been recently. “Oh, fuck him,” you said weakly.
“Well, did you?”
You paused, unsure of whether or not to confess. “I already told you that he didn’t cheat. Is what, or who, I do in my spare time really any of your business?” you playfully teased.
His lips curled upwards. “I like to know what I’m getting myself into.”
The double entendre wasn't missed on you. You glanced over your shoulder, scanning the crowds to ensure that no one was paying too close attention. “You don’t have to worry about me and Oscar. But you know I run his social media, right? So I see all the gossip pages, all the shit you get yourself into. It’s a bold claim to say you’ve got no drama.”
“Oh, darling, they don’t even know the half of it,” he smirked. You all had turned around by now, walking back in the direction of the paddock. The crows were thinner now.
He continued, “But what about you, huh? You’re all bored with Oscar and now you want some real fun?” He let out a small laugh. “No, you’re not like that. Too much of a good girl.”
“You think I’m too good? I’m here flirting with my best friend’s rival for the championship.”
“Are we flirting, is that was this is?” he asked, as if he didn’t know exactly what he was doing. “I thought we were just having a pleasant conversation, catching up on the gossip.” Unbeknownst to you, Lando had gotten all the gossip from Oscar after their drunken celebration in Miami. But he wanted to see exactly how much you’d reveal to him.
“Well, sure then. I’m sure you get tired of race talk all day, anyway.”
“You say that like you think race talk is boring. But I’ve seen you at enough races to know better. Don’t play coy, you love it, don’t you? You know more about racing than most of the drivers’ girlfriends.”
It kind of unnerved you, the way Lando knew exactly how to push your buttons. The subtle you’re not like the other girls implication; both you knew it wasn’t a compliment, but rather a statement meant to rile you up and see how you’d react. And it worked.
Your voice lowered, steady yet quieter. “It’s a bit sexist to assume that women don’t know anything about racing. And knowing more about racing doesn’t make me any better than anyone else.”
“I never said that, love.”
“Hmm, but you thought it.”
“Are you in my head now?” You playfully rolled your eyes. “So tell me about all the race talk between you and Oscar.”
“Is that a euphemism for something?” you chuckled.
“D’you want it to be?” he smirked. “No, no, really. Tell me what groundbreaking F1 opinions are inside that pretty little head of yours.” Yeah, he was definitely flirting with you.
“I’ve got nothing groundbreaking,” you said as your smile loosened, contemplating how you wanted to arrange your words. “I think Oscar has a good shot at winning the WDC this year, if he can get out of his own head.”
“And what about me?”
“I think you’ll give him a run for his money. But you care too much about what random people on the internet think,” you said, ending the statement with that on the nose jest.
“You’re probably right,” he smiled. “God, you sounded like my PR manager for a sec there.”
“Not exactly dirty talk, is it?” you joked.
You arrived back at the McLaren garage. Lando walked in first, seeing that Oscar’s back was to you, and positioned himself so that when Oscar looked around, he’d see him instead of you. You were none the wiser.
He leaned down to whisper in your ear. “You still haven’t answered my question. How was he?” Lando’s face was plastered with a mischievous grin.
You playfully hit his shoulder. “Don’t ask me that!” you cooed, though you didn’t mind his closeness, the warmth of his breath on your ear.
Oscar didn’t like it, though. And when he turned around and saw your back to him, Lando leaned down next to you, and smirking, he wanted to run him over with his car.
Lando looked up for only a split second, but his eyes met Oscar’s, as if to acknowledge what he was doing. Or, as if to say, yes, I’m doing this, and you can’t stop me.
Oscar couldn’t handle the audacity of watching Lando flirt with you in front of his own eyes. Thankfully, you were tapped on the shoulder by none other than the new guy, who had broken his extremely expensive camera, and you were called away to help him figure it out.
Oscar crossed the garage to face Lando, never breaking his line of sight.
“Oh hey, mate, what’s up?” Lando asked, innocently.
“Why are you talking to YN?”
“Oh, she wanted to take some photos—”
“Don’t talk to YN,” Oscar said, his voice plain but stern.
“Mate, we were just having a chat. It wasn’t like that. Don’t be so paranoid.”
“I’m serious,” Oscar reiterated. “Don’t cross that line, Lando.”
“Okay, my bad,” Lando said, nervously laughing and carelessly throwing his hands in the air. Oscar still wouldn’t shift his gaze, even as both drivers were called to get back in their cars to resume the qualifying session.
There was something up about Lando, he could tell. But it’d have to wait. Now, he had a pole to get.
Well, he tried, but only managed to come in fourth. Lando got pole. Of fucking course.
Another sleepless night passed with no messages from you.
And the next morning, there you were as usual, staring at him only through the eye of your camera lens.
But then, across the garage, you had no problem chatting it up with Lando. He threw you a glimpse of his award winning smirk and Oscar felt violent. He didn’t like this. Not one bit.
You were doing it to spite him, that was obvious. You’d never be interested in a guy like Lando; too much of a playboy. And honestly, Oscar knew deep down that he deserved this. But it still made him sick to his stomach.
The feeling only dissipated when it was replaced by that primitive need within him to win. The lights before him went out and reason gave way to instinct.
Lando bottled the pole, losing the lead to Max after the first corner. Oscar fell back one place, narrowly avoiding a collision between Charles and Lewis, before overtaking them as they struggled to reorient their cars.
So it was just him, Max, and Lando. He could do this.
His body moved automatically. He could hear the roar of the engines, the chattering of the radio, and the screaming of the fans in the distance, but in his mind all was quiet. Laps blurred as he sped along the track, pushing inch by inch closer to overtaking Max.
Eventually he did, getting DRS and flying past the Redbull driver, pushing hard to get a good lead over him.
All that was left now was his own teammate.
“Okay Oscar, you’ve got enough space between you and Verstappen,” his race engineer said.
“I want to overtake.”
“A 1-2 is our goal right now—”
“Then he can be 2nd. I want to win.”
Silence befell the radio channel for a moment.
His engineer returned. “Okay. Papaya rules.”
Papaya rules. The phrase that haunted his dreams.
There was really no need to use the coded language anymore. The world knew what it meant—race, but keep it clean. Put the team above yourself. Don’t do anything reckless.
But Oscar was sick of being the good teammate, the one who always let Lando win for the sake of the team. He was tired of being gifted wins. Team orders were bullshit. This wasn’t about McLaren anymore. This was about his pride. This was everything.
So he pushed harder than he should have. He was wearing his tires out, he knew, but Lando just coasted along, as if nothing was amiss. As if his teammate wasn’t out for blood and gaining on him with every lap.
Lando glanced in his mirrors and saw Oscar behind him.
“Oscar’s getting close,” he said to his engineer.
“We told him papaya rules. Remember, our goal here is a 1-2.”
“He’s gonna wear out his tires.”
“Let’s just focus on keeping P1.”
But Lando knew it wasn’t that simple. This was no longer impersonal racing, just the best of the best competing against each other because it was in their nature to do so.
No, this was personal now.
Lando rounded the corner, feeling Oscar hot on his heels, but managed to defend his position. He knew that with DRS enabled at the next stretch, he wouldn’t be able to hold him off.
But in front of him, he was already close to lapping the backmarkers of the grid.
Oscar could see them in the distance; the familiar teal of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, and an even more familiar fumble as he drove erratically due to some mechanical issue with the car.
Lando slowed down, but Oscar couldn’t react. He swerved, hitting the barrier.
Back in the garage, the breath left your lungs.
You couldn’t resist the temptation of watching. You’d slid the headset on after Oscar had driven off, and you’d planned to leave before he got back to the garage and discovered that you’d ever been there. No harm, no foul. The allure of the purring engines and adrenaline-fueled racing was just too much to resist.
But now, hearing the violent scrape of carbon fiber against metal as Oscar’s car screeched along the barriers, your heart sunk into your chest.
“Are you alright, Oscar?” you heard his race engineer ask, his voice filling your ears.
But the silence afterwards was deafening.
“Oscar, can you hear us? Are you alright?”
All that came through was a metallic gargle of noise, a sign that the radio had been damaged in the impact. There was no way to know if Oscar was hurt or not.
A hush fell on the track as the safety car was brought out. Lando had effectively secured his win, with so few laps remaining.
Your eyes were glued to the screen, praying to whatever God would listen that Oscar would be okay. You watched as the marshalls rushed to the site of the car, huddling around the lump of broken parts that stood still on the sidelines.
Because of the force of the crash, the medical car had been deployed as well. You were frozen in place.
You had never been much of a believer in God, but all you could do now was beg.
Please, God. Please let him be okay. If he’s okay I can forgive everything he’s ever done. If he’s okay I will never let him out of my life ever again. Please, God, please let him be safe.
You chanted the prayer over and over again to yourself as the seconds ticked by like hours.
Finally, after an agonizingly long wait, you saw the marshalls carrying along an orange-clad form into the medical car.
You didn’t even think. You just reacted, taking off your headset and booking it towards the medical tent.
You weren’t the only one there, though. The tent was already swarmed with media, all craning their necks to see Oscar. You pushed your way through to the front, only to be stopped by security, since you had your media pass instead of your usual VIP pass as one of Oscar’s friends.
You panicked—to the eyes of security, you were just another reporter who was rudely trying to cut through the crowd to get to the injured driver.
“Please let me by,” you pleaded. “I know Oscar—”
“You can wait at the media tent.”
“C’mon—”
“Ma’am, we need you to leave.” You groaned, and you were about to leave before you heard the voice of your savior from out of nowhere.
“Hey!” he called. You turned your head to see who it was—the familiar, friendly face of Zak Brown.
He was on the other side of the barrier, but Oscar was still nowhere to be found.
“Oh, YN, am I glad to see you!” He turned to the security officer. “Let her in.”
“Sir, media personnel are not authorized—”
“She’s VIP, not media.”
“Sir—”
“Do you know who I am?” he said, an unusual sternness in his tone. The security officer glanced down at his pass and silently let you through.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Zak said, his boyish grin returning as he patted you on the back and led you along to the private area where they’d be bringing Oscar any second now.
You sighed as he pulled the medical curtain closed.
“Boy, was that a nasty crash,” he said.
“Is he okay?”
“Well, he’s alive. That’s as far as I know.”
Your heart sank again. But as if on cue, you heard the rumble of camera shutters and reporters chattering outside the tent as the marshals escorted Oscar into the tent. When he came up, the room was flooded with medical personnel, pushing you and Zak back to the edge of the curtained-off room.
A nurse rushed in. “Who’s his emergency contact?” she asked Zak.
“Her,” he said, gesturing to you. You were confused. Since when had Oscar made you his emergency contact?
“Stay here,” the nurse instructed, but even if you wanted to, you couldn’t move an inch. You resumed your prayers as Zak blabbered on and on, mainly to himself. One thing that you’d learned very quickly about Zak Brown once Oscar had gotten to McLaren is that he really liked to yap.
As the doctors and nurses filtered in and out of the room, you caught a brief glimpse of Oscar in the hospital bed, his eyes rolled back into his head, slumped over into his shoulder.
You wanted to wail.
But it was only a few minutes before everyone began to filter out of the room, creating enough space for you to finally see your friend. And when you did lay eyes on him, it wasn’t nearly as bad as you feared.
His eyes were closed; an attempt to rest, rather than a state of unconsciousness.
A nurse at his bedside turned to you. “Don’t worry. He’s going to be fine. We’re going to sedate him and transport him to a hospital, but he’s not gravely injured. He just needs some tests done that we can’t do here.”
You nodded along, not once taking your eyes off Oscar.
“And, yes, you are his emergency contact, so we’ll need you to come with us. He’s authorized you to make decisions in the event that he's unable to. But that is unlikely, of course.”
“Is he…?” you asked, gesturing towards him.
“He’s still a little shaken up. The best thing right now is to get him into a calmer environment.”
You nodded. “I’ll make sure that new guy doesn’t lose all your stuff,” Zak quipped, and you threw a smile out towards him. “I’ll meet you all there when we’ve wrapped up here.”
Ah yes, the grand prix was likely still going on outside, and Lando would have to climb the podium and take his P1 trophy home.
But as you sat in a hospital room in Italy next to your best friend, the podium was the last thing on your mind.
Oscar was still completely out of it. The doctors had come and gone, confirming that all of his tests had come back normal. No broken bones, no concussion, nothing major. Just a shit ton of bruises and a shock to the system that left him too exhausted to stay awake for more than 15 minutes at a time.
Outside, the sun was setting, but you couldn’t sit still. You held Oscar’s limp hand in your own, tracing patterns into the cold skin. You hadn’t held his hand since you were kids—no, Oscar had held your hands above your head as he pinned you to the wall only weeks ago.
You flung the memory away. Now wasn’t the time. Besides, you promise you’d forgive all that.
Either way, you couldn’t focus on that now. Oscar’s eyelashes were fluttering open, his eyes squinting at the fluorescent light above him.
“Osc!” you said, truthfully too energetic for the occasion. You dropped his hand, got up, and turned off the overhead light, leaving only the swiftly fading daylight from outside the window to illuminate the room.
He groaned as you sat back down, but still mumbled a small thanks.
“Where am I?” he asked, bringing his hand up to rub his eyes.
“A hospital in Imola.”
“Shit,” he sighed.
“Yeah. You had a pretty bad crash.”
“I remember that,” he said, his throat dry and cracked. He took a sip of water. “Lando brake checked me.”
“Is that what happened? I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Yeah. Fucker,” he cursed, his voice dripping with contempt. You didn’t know what to say.
“How are you feeling?” you finally said, tired of the lingering tension.
“Awful. Everything hurts.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m just glad you’re here,” he said, reaching for his call button to request painkillers. “I’ve missed you.”
It was bold, doing this when he knew you couldn’t exactly be cruel to him. So, instead, you were honest.
“I’ve missed you too. I’m just glad you’re okay,” you said, reaching forward to smooth his hair away from his sweat-stained forehead. Your touch felt better than any painkiller. “We were really scared.”
“Nah, you’re not getting rid of me anytime soon,” he joked as the nurse arrived and wordlessly administered his meds. He let out a sigh as he felt the painkillers enter his system. “I run on pure spite. A little wall isn’t gonna take me out.”
You gave him a small smile. “You didn’t say anything after the crash,” you said, your voice just a quivering whisper, giving away the true depths of your fear.
“I had the wind knocked out of me. And then, everything just went black, I was fading in and out.”
“I was praying you’d be okay. It was so scary.”
“Hey, I’m okay. A little busted up, but I wasn't exactly a looker anyway, huh?” he joked, a feeble attempt to make you laugh. You sniffled and smiled.
He continued, “Can I use my near-death experience as an excuse for us to make up?”
Your smile dropped and you bit your lip. “Osc…”
“I just want my friend back,” he said, cutting you off. “Look, I can’t be the boyfriend you deserve. Not right now, at least. And I think, after all the shit I did, you wouldn’t want me to anyway. But I miss my friend.”
“I miss my friend, too.”
Your heart to heart was interrupted by a knock at the door. The same nurse from before poked her head in. “Excuse me?” she asked in an Italian accent, and you looked up. “There is a visitor asking to be let in. She said her name is Lily?”
You couldn’t help the face you made. What on God’s green Earth was Lily doing in Imola?
“Um, yeah, let her in,” Oscar said. He didn’t react, though you scooted away and sat at the edge of your seat, ready to leave at any second. “Stay,” he whispered to you, and you did.
A few moments later, you saw her walk in, and the atmosphere was thick.
“Hi Oscar,” she exhaled, grateful to see him okay. He greeted her back, but she didn’t even look at you. You got up to give them a moment, but Oscar reached out and grabbed your wrist. “Don’t go,” he said, and the look in his eyes was impossible to refuse. You tentatively sat back down.
“How are you feeling?” Lily asked, and the two exchanged pleasant conversation back and forth. You wanted nothing more than to jump out of the window that now showed the sunset over the trees. Normal visiting hours would be ending soon.
“Well, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay,” she said, getting up to leave. “I’m glad you’re doing well. You too, YN,” she added on the end, but you didn’t believe it. You gave her a flat but polite smile.
“Actually, YN, could we have a word?” she asked, cocking her head in the direction of the hallway.
The look on Oscar’s face told you that this was a horrible idea. But one of you was confined to a hospital bed, and the other wasn’t. You ignored him and followed Lily into the deserted hallway.
She turned to you, voice full of venom. “How long have you been sleeping with Oscar?”
“What?”
“You heard me,” she said, plain as day.
“I’ve told you before, Oscar never cheated on you.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
You turned your head in confusion. “What are you getting at?”
Lily angrily sighed. “You think that you can just waltz around the paddock talking shit about me with Lando, and that I’m not going to hear about it?”
Had Lily been at the paddock? Or even worse: had she somehow heard you?
“Well, if you actually heard my conversation with Lando, you’ll know that I stood up for you.”
“I thought you were a girl’s girl,” she said, deflecting from your defense.
“I am.”
“Then why were you in bed with my boyfriend 4 days after we broke up?”
“Your ex boyfriend,” you said, meeting her level of venom. “You left him.”
“I just thought, after all that talk, you’d have the decency not to prove me right.”
“Lily, I was honest with you. If you’re mad at Oscar, don’t take it out on me. He’s the one who suggested it. I told him it was a bad idea.”
“But you did it anyway.”
“And I felt horrible about it. So I stopped.” Your voice was sharp. “Who told you any of this?”
“It doesn't matter. I hope you’re happy.”
“I hope you are, too. Genuinely.” You lacked the words to say what you really wanted to. He treats both of us like shit. He used us. I am not your enemy. She wouldn’t want to hear it anyway. She wordlessly walked away, scoffing and mumbling to herself.
You didn’t say anything either as you walked back into the hospital room and slumped in the chair.
“I’m guessing that didn’t go well?” Oscar said.
“Nope.”
“Well, we were in the middle of something…”
Oh, right. The conversation where Oscar was trying to get back in your pants.
“I’m not going to fuck you, Oscar.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“We can let anything lead to that. Not again.”
“I understand,” he said. “I just want my friend back in my life. Like all of that never happened.”
“Could we even do that?” you asked. It felt like a line had been crossed, moving your friendship in a way that couldn’t be undone.
“I promise. And I know my word doesn’t mean much, but really, I promise. Never again.”
Haven't you promised that you’d forgive him?
“Okay,” you said, “Okay.”
Oscar smiled at you, showing off his bunny teeth. You still loved him. You couldn’t help it. But true to form, you could never stay away.
“Oh, and by the way, congrats on Miami.”
You fell asleep in the chair, having refused to leave Oscar’s side. He’d be discharged in the morning to make his flight back to Monaco, though it was questionable whether or not he’d be able to race in the iconic Grand Prix.
True to his word, though, Oscar got one final set of visitors in the dead of night.
The first was Zak Brown.
“Oscar!” Zak yelled, before Oscar shushed and pointed to your sleeping form. You stirred but didn’t fully wake, and Zak placed his hand over his mouth and raised his eyebrows as Oscar let out a quiet laugh.
“Hey Zak,” he said, his voice hushed.
“Glad to see you’re doing better.”
“Yeah, I made it,” he mused. “Hey, what did the FIA say?” Oscar’s phone had died since you had fallen asleep, and his charger had been left at the track.
Thankfully, Zak had brought his (and your) belongings, and he placed the bag at the foot of the hospital bed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, the penalty, from the crash?”
“No one got a penalty.”
“But, Lando brake checked me.”
“Lando barely avoided a crash with Stroll.”
“I know, but he didn’t swerve, he slowed down. He had room to swerve, I didn’t. How did no one get a penalty?”
“That's just racing.”
“He intentionally slowed down to stop me!”
“Oscar, I highly doubt that that’s what happened. It was a crowded track, and you all had to react in a split second. These things happen, you know this.”
Oscar wasn’t at all pleased with this answer, and it was worsened by the appearance of his second visitor: Lando himself.
“Ah, there’s our grand prix winner!” Zak said, giving him a hearty pat on the back.
Lando smiled, and Oscar wanted to throw up.
“Had to bring it home for the team,” he said, smiling at Zak. “You doing alright, mate?” he asked.
Oscar was already tired of people asking him how he was feeling. “I’m fine,” he said.
“Lando gave Stroll an earful after the race.”
“Oh yeah, probably getting fined for that one…”
“Why? I didn’t crash because of Stroll. You brake checked me.” The pain was making Oscar more irritable. He’d need another dose of meds soon.
“No, Stroll was driving like an idiot out there, I had to slow down.”
“No, you had to move. You’re not stupid. You just didn’t want me to overtake, didn’t you?”
“Okay, boys, let’s save this for the track,” Zak interjected. Oscar just grumbled. “I’ll meet you outside, yeah?” he said to Lando, who nodded but stayed behind.
The Brit glanced at you, still fast asleep in the chair by Oscar’s bedside. “D’you tire out your babysitter?” he smiled.
But Oscar was relentless. “Don’t talk about her.”
“I thought you all weren’t on speaking terms?”
“Lando, mind your business.”
“I don’t know what your problem is, mate.”
“You think I don’t know what you’re up to.”
“I’m not up to anything. I’m just trying to be a good teammate. Jesus, Osc, they should check that you didn’t hit your head too hard, you’re so paranoid.”
Truthfully, Oscar was bluffing. He had a horrible feeling about his teammate, but no evidence to back it up. But his intuition was hardly ever wrong.
“I ran into Lily after you left,” Lando said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told her you were here.” His tone of voice was so gentle that Oscar began to wonder if maybe he was being too paranoid.
“Yeah, she came by earlier.”
Lando’s eyes glanced back to your sleeping form, and Oscar felt his anger rise again. He didn’t even want Lando to look in your direction, let alone be speaking to you.
“Your heart rate is up,” Lando said, gesturing to the monitor that now showed the physical effects of Oscar’s anger.
“Look, Lando,” Oscar said, shifting to sit up in bed. “Stop acting like we’re friends. Stop talking to YN, stop trying to play this buddy-buddy game. We’re here to beat each other.”
“I was just trying to be kind, but I guess if you really don’t want to be friends, I can’t make you.”
“I’m serious. Leave YN alone. Don’t even go there.”
“She’s an adult.”
“And she’s mine.”
Lando laughed. “Seriously? That’s not exactly what she told me.”
The monitor beeped again as Oscar’s heart rate continued to rise. “I don’t care what she told you.”
“You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Try it. See what happens.”
A nurse gently knocked on the door, and Oscar was grateful for the distraction and relief of pain meds.
“Well,” Lando said, leaning on the door, “I guess I’ll see you all in Monaco.”
Lando Norris x Y/N
Summary: Twitch streams, chaos during trivia, and one very soft Lando Norris. Whenever Y/N shows up on stream, fans get more than they bargained for. Between Max F's third-wheeling, and Lando's doting habits, the internet can't keep up.
Words: 5.3k
Warnings: swearing, mentions of period, pregnancy
Five star michelin
The stream blinked to life, revealing a familiar setting: the sleek, modern kitchen of Lando’s Monaco apartment. The camera was already rolling, capturing a countertop neatly prepped with ingredients, and a few pots and pans waiting on the stove like soldiers at attention. Cooking stream? Unheard of.
Lando appeared on screen, a little out of focus as he fiddled with something just off-camera. He leaned down toward a mic and gave it a couple of taps.
“Can you hear me now?” he asked, eyes darting toward the chat as it exploded with responses. A few seconds passed before he nodded, satisfied. “Nice.”
From somewhere off-camera, a familiar voice chimed in. “You ready?”
“Mmhmm.” Lando stepped back into frame and clapped his hands together, “So—”
A sudden laugh burst from off-screen, stopping him mid-sentence. He turned his head, smirking.
“What?”
Y/N finally stepped into view, her expression amused. She wore one of his Quadrant hoodies, her hair pulled back casually, looking completely at home. “You and Max always do that,” she teased.
“Do what?” he chuckled, reaching out to tug her gently closer until she was tucked beside him, shoulder brushing his.
“The clapping,” she said, gesturing at him with a knowing smile. “Every time you guys film something, you both do that little clap before talking. It’s like a reflex or something.”
Lando rolled his eyes with an exaggerated sigh. “Whatever, hater…”
He turned back to the camera, hands twitching like he was going to clap again. “Anyways, so—” He froze, caught himself mid-motion, and looked right at her. “...Fuck. I really do it, huh?”
Y/N doubled over laughing, lightly shoving him. “I told you! It’s your little pre-performance ritual.”
Lando laughed too, bumping her gently with his hip. “I feel attacked in my own kitchen.”
“You should,” she grinned. “Consider this an intervention.”
“Alright, alright,” Lando grinned, finally pulling it together. “No more claps. Let’s cook before I develop another weird habit.”
“Tell them what we’re doing,” Y/N says, grabbing two aprons from the counter and tossing one to Lando.
“Right!” he nods, slipping the apron over his head. “We’re making dinner. From scratch.”
“That’s right,” she grins, stepping behind him to tie his apron strings neatly at the back. “Steak and mashed potatoes today, quick and easy.”
Lando scans the kitchen setup with a slightly exaggerated frown, lips pressed together as he surveys the ingredients. Y/N catches the look and raises a brow.
“What’s wrong?”
He exhales a soft laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m actually kind of nervous. Chat’s gonna see how rubbish I am at this.”
Y/N’s face softens as he gently spins her around to tie her apron too, the motion slow and familiar. She glances over her shoulder with a small smile. “That’s why I’m here, bub. We’ll work as a team.”
He gives her a playful pat on the bum, earning a surprised little laugh as he says, “Alright, boss. What’s first?”
Y/N grabs a bowl of unpeeled potatoes and hands it off to him along with a peeler. “Wash them, peel them, cut them into quarters.”
Lando blinks. “Huh?”
She stifles a laugh. “Wash. Peel. Cut. Into quarters,” she repeats with a teasing squeeze to his arm, before turning toward the fridge.
He looks down at the potatoes, then to chat, then back at the potatoes, sighing as he walks to the sink. “Do I like... scrub them or something?” he calls over his shoulder.
“No need,” she answers, rinsing some herbs at the counter. “We’re peeling them anyway.”
And so the chaos begins.
Y/N gets to work seasoning the steaks and prepping the herb butter, while Lando stands at the sink, holding a potato like it might explode. He finally begins peeling, very slowly, occasionally pausing to read the chat.
“Hey! I’m not slow!” he says, pointing the peeler accusingly at the camera, eyes squinting playfully. “I’m just taking my time.”
From behind him, Y/N chuckles, drying her hands. “You are doing it quite slow, my love.”
She walks over with a chopping board and a knife in hand, peeking into the bowl beside him. “I’ve already seasoned the meat, made the herb butter, and cleaned up. And you—” she pauses, looking over at his bowl of potatoes “—have peeled exactly… three potatoes.”
Lando gasps like she’s just betrayed him on live television. “I think I'm doing a mega job.”
She laughs, nudging him gently with her hip as she starts chopping the peeled ones. "And I'm so proud of you"
The chat explodes in laughter, messages flying in:
“3 potatoes in 20 minutes 💀” “Y/N carrying as usual” “He’s trying his best leave him alone 😭”
Y/N takes over the potato duties without much of a fight, Lando had peeled just enough for her to work with. She dumps the chunks into a pot of water and sets it to boil, giving it a quick stir before turning to check on her newly assigned sous-chef.
Lando is now standing in front of the stove like he’s guarding a priceless artifact. The pan on the burner is still very much empty, not even a drop of oil or butter in sight, but he’s watching it with intense focus.
“You do realize the pan’s still empty, right?” Y/N asks, sliding up beside him, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised.
Without taking his eyes off the pan, Lando scoffs, “I’m aware, yes.”
She bites back a grin. “And you’re watching it like a hawk because…?”
“I’m waiting for it to heat up enough,” he replies, dead serious, hovering his hand just above the surface with surgical precision. “You said it has to be hot. Like hot hot.”
Y/N stares at him for a second, then laughs. “Okay, fair, but you could at least put some oil in while you’re doing your little steak meditation.”
Lando lets out a dramatic sigh like she’s asking him to do the impossible, but obliges, grabbing the olive oil and drizzling it into the pan with flair. “There. Happy?”
“Ecstatic,” she deadpans. “Now wait til it's smoking a bit.”
He narrows his eyes at the pan, nodding slowly. “Got it.”
From the corner of the room, her phone buzzes with notifications. Chat is thriving.
“Lando’s steak arc begins” “This man is doing yoga with a frying pan” “Protect the pan at all costs”
Lando peeks over her shoulder and squints. “I feel very attacked in this live stream.”
Y/N smirks. “Good. Means they care.”
Just then, the oil begins to ripple gently in the pan. She leans over, inspecting it.
“Alright, chef,” she says with a teasing salute. “You’re good to go.”
Lando straightens up dramatically, grabs the seasoned steak like it’s a sacred relic, and carefully lays it into the pan with a loud sizzle. He flinches slightly at the noise, glancing at her like, “Did I do that right?”
Y/N gives him a proud little nod. “That’s perfect.”
The satisfaction on Lando’s face is almost too much. He’s glowing like he just scored pole position.
“Yeah?” he says, biting his lip to hide the grin. “I mean… obviously.”
They both stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the stove, their expressions weirdly serious as they watched the steaks sizzle in the pan. The kitchen was quiet now, save for the soft bubbling from the potatoes and the satisfying sear of meat against hot oil.
Neither of them spoke. Just stood there. Staring.
Chat, however, was anything but silent.
“they’re both dissociating 😭” “brainrot live” “this is peak couple behaviour” “they’re literally the same person wtf”
Lando finally blinked out of it first. He glanced sideways and immediately burst into a quiet laugh, spotting the exact same zoned-out expression on Y/N’s face as she stared into the pan like it held the secrets of the universe.
She snapped out of it at the sound of his laugh, turning her head with a soft smile. “What?”
“You were giving me crap for staring at the pan,” he said, nudging her gently with his elbow. “You were literally dissociating watching the steak cook.”
Y/N blinked, then laughed, covering her face with one hand. “Oh my god. I was. I think the sizzle hypnotized me.”
Lando grinned, bumping her again. “Welcome to my world.”
She leaned her head briefly against his shoulder, still smiling. “Brain empty. Just meat noises.”
Chat was in shambles.
“JUST MEAT NOISES” “meat trance 🧠✨” “someone screenshot this, I need it framed”
Not much time had passed, and now the two stood on opposite ends of the kitchen island, heads down, tongues slightly poking out in focus as they carefully plated their food.
Each had been assigned their own plate, it had somehow turned into a competition. And of course, they’d agreed that chat would vote on whose presentation was better.
“Stop hogging all the broccoli, baby!” Lando cried dramatically, pointing an accusing finger at her side of the counter. “I’ve got no garnish.”
Y/N scoffed, not even looking up as she arranged a small floret just so. “You knob, we’ve literally both got five each!” she exclaimed, gesturing wildly to her plate like she was presenting evidence in court.
Lando leaned over with a squint. “Yeah, but you’ve got all the pretty pieces!”
She froze mid-mash, then turned to look at him, face twisted in utter disbelief. “They’re all broccoli, you muppet! What do you mean ‘pretty pieces’?!”
“The round ones!” Lando argued back, now clutching his plate like it was his child. “Yours are, like… cuter!”
“I cannot believe we’re arguing about broccoli aesthetics,” she muttered, laughing as she snatched one off his plate and swapped it with hers. “There. Happy?”
He paused, inspecting the trade like a jewel dealer. “...Yeah, that’s fair.”
Lando glanced over at his plate, then at hers. His brow furrowed.
“How’d you do that?” he asked, confused, staring like her food was some sort of black magic.
Y/N didn’t even look up, too focused on delicately arranging the slices of steak just right on her plate. “What now?”
“Your mash…” he said, drifting over behind her to peer over her shoulder. “How’d you make it look like that?”
She let out a loud, surprised laugh, trying to push him away with one arm. “Lando! We literally have the same stuff. Go back to your side!”
“But yours is nicer!” he whined, barely budging under her efforts, grinning down at her like a menace.
“Then make yours nicer” she shot back, trying to block his view with her body.
Lando laughed, finally backing off with a shake of his head. He grabbed a clean spoon and stood over his plate like he was defusing a bomb. Slowly, carefully, he swiped it through his mashed potatoes in a swooping motion, eyes narrowed in focus.
“Done!” Y/N announced triumphantly, tossing her hands in the air. She wiped her hands on her apron and sauntered over to Lando’s side with a mischievous grin.
“Hey!” Lando yelped, quickly shifting to block her path with his hip like a human kitchen gate. “Back to your side!”
“I just wanna peek!” she laughed, trying to sneak a look over his shoulder.
Without warning, Lando wrapped one arm around her waist, effortlessly scooping her up like she weighed nothing. Y/N squealed in surprise as he spun her around and plopped her down directly in front of the camera.
“Stay there,” he said, grinning as he planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. “Talk to chat while I finish my masterpiece.”
Y/N blinked at the camera, momentarily stunned, before bursting into laughter. “This man really picked me up like I was a rogue toddler.”
Lando finally walked over to show his plate toward the camera with a dramatic spin. “Voilà. Chef Norris’s Signature Steak Surprise.”
Y/N tilted her head, pretending to inspect. “Surprise being you didn’t burn it?” She teases as she holds up her own plate to show the camera
“Oi,” he huffed, nudging her gently with his hip again. “Time for the votes. Chat—choose wisely.”
He moved to stand beside her as the poll popped up on screen: Whose plate wins? 🍽 🧡 Lando’s Luxurious Lunch 💚 Y/N’s Superior Steak Situation
The votes flew in fast.
“I swear, if you win because of the mash swirl…” Y/N muttered, squinting at the poll.
Lando grinned. “That’s called technique, love.”
The timer ticked down.
Y/N – 62% Lando – 38%
“YESSS,” she cheered, throwing her arms up again. “Justice for the broccoli.”
Lando slumped against the counter dramatically. “This is rigged. I demand a recount.”
Y/N leaned in, pecking his cheek. “Better luck next dinner, chef.”
------------------------------------------------------
Think fast
Being in a relationship with Y/N meant Lando had to stay constantly on his toes. In the early days, her endless pranks always managed to catch him off guard, whether it was the latest viral trend or some chaotic idea she came up with on a whim, he never stood a chance. These days, though, he liked to think he’d gotten better at spotting the signs, or at least bracing himself for whatever mischief she had up her sleeve.
“It’s not going to work.”
Y/N and Max Fewtrell strolled into the McLaren hospitality, phone in hand streaming live on twitch, making their way toward the back where Lando was supposed to meet them. He’d left the hotel a couple hours earlier for back-to-back meetings before free practice.
“When has he not fallen for one of your pranks?” Max asked, sipping his coffee with a knowing grin. “Just try it. Chat's going to love it”
Y/N shook her head, already laughing at the thought of Lando calling her out before she even made a move.
“The last two times, he shut me down before I even got the chance,” she said with a shrug. “He’s learning.”
They found an empty table tucked away from the crowd and sat down to wait. Max, ever the instigator, kept nudging her to try one of the latest pranks he’d seen trending on his feed, desperate for a dose of chaos and the chance to see his best friend publicly flustered.
The two sat like that for a while, answering a few questions every now and then. Before long, Lando’s voice rang out behind them.
“Oi! There you two are!”
Y/N glanced over her shoulder and grinned, standing up with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“You want your fix? Watch this,” she whispered to Max, stepping aside from the table just as Lando approached.
“Sorry, meeting ran long,” Lando said, pulling off his cap and tossing it onto the table.
Y/N didn’t miss a beat. “Think fast! I’m a random girl!”
Without warning, she lunged at him—arms outstretched, lips puckered dramatically, ready to play her role to perfection.
Lando’s reflexes kicked in fast. “Whoa!” he said, holding his palm out and catching her right in the forehead, effectively stopping her mid-charge.
“I’m happily taken, thank you very much,” he deadpanned, pushing her away gently but firmly, then wiped his hand on his pants with exaggerated disgust. “Please maintain a safe distance, stranger.”
Max burst out laughing while Y/N nodded proudly, even slow clapping.
“Mate,” Max wheezed through his laughter, practically spilling his coffee, “you’re like a trained puppy!”
“Proud of you, babe,” Y/N grinned, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek.
“Hey!” Lando ducked away dramatically, throwing his hands up. “Lady! Please… I just told you—I have a beautiful girlfriend!”
Y/N smacked his arm, laughing. “You muppet.”
Lando chuckled, finally letting his act drop as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in. “Hello, my love. Trying to entertain Max and chat again, I see?”
“Someone’s gotta give them content,” she teased, and Max just shook his head, still grinning, proud to have captured the whole thing.
------------------------------------------------------
Just cause
Lando had been on Twitch with Max for hours now, deep in a chaotic stream full of banter, games, and far too much shouting. Y/N had been missing in action the whole time, curled up in bed for a nap when the boys started, and clearly forgotten amidst the noise.
When she finally stirred awake, the first thing she heard was Lando’s muffled shouting through the walls. Headphones on, game volume cranked, completely unaware of how loud he was being. With a sleepy smile, she grabbed her phone and hopped onto Twitch, curiosity getting the best of her.
Instead of Lando’s stream, she tapped into Max’s—knowing full well she’d get the better view and more unfiltered commentary.
“Hi Maxie” she typed, the grin already growing on her face.
“Woah, is that Y/N?” Max’s voice rang out, loud and clear through Lando’s headset.
Lando glanced over his shoulder instinctively. “She’s asleep in the room, mate.”
Max let out a laugh. “No, mate—she just said hi in my chat. Hi Y/N!”
Lando’s brows lifted in surprise, just as the sound of her soft footsteps approached from behind. Moments later, she was there—turning his chair slightly before straddling his lap without a word, resting her chin on his shoulder.
“Oh—” Lando blinked, arms instinctively wrapping around her waist, one hand settling gently on her back. “Hi, baby. What’s wrong?”
She didn’t answer—just shook her head and nuzzled into his neck, clearly not in distress, just craving closeness.
The chat exploded.
“OMG STOP” “They’re so cute I’m gonna cry” “IM SO SINGLE” “Watch Max clown them in 3...2...1…”
“Ewww! Get a room, you two!” Max called out through his mic, laughing.
“Shut up, Max,” Lando chuckled, slipping off one side of his headset and muting his mic. He leaned back slightly, guiding her face away from his neck so he could see her.
“Baby… hey,” he said softly, concern laced through his voice as his arms held her close. “You alright, my love?”
She smiled gently, still sleepy-eyed. “Hi.”
“Well, hello,” Lando chuckled, amused by the unexpected visit. He reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing her cheek. “What’s wrong? You don’t usually do this… not that I mind—I quite like it, actually.”
She only shook her head, letting out a quiet sigh as she settled her head back on his shoulder, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck.
Lando’s smile faded into a soft frown, now slightly worried. “You feeling okay? Are you sick?” His hand instinctively moved to her forehead, checking her temperature.
She laughed, lifting her head to meet his eyes. “I’m okay, silly. I just… missed you.”
That one sentence made something warm bloom in his chest. He smirked, his hands now tracing slow circles on her back, already forgetting the stream still running in the background.
“Yeah?”
She nodded, now suddenly a little bashful under his gaze.
“I can end the stream,” he offered gently. “We can hang out in the room, maybe order some food and watch a movie?”
She shook her head. “Maybe later? Go finish your game… I’ll just stay here for a bit.”
Lando smiled softly and guided her head back down to his shoulder, pressing a tender kiss to the side of her head. “Alright, my love. One more hour—then I’m all yours.”
He leaned forward and unmuted his mic, the grin already spreading on his face. “Sorry—boyfriend duties,” he said proudly, as Max groaned dramatically and the chat predictably exploded again.
“bf of the year!” “THE WAY HE LOOKS AT HER 😭” “MAX IS GONNA LOSE HIS MIND I LOVE THIS” “THE BAR IS ON THE FLOOR AND LANDO JUST LAUNCHED OVER IT”
------------------------------------------------------
Who knows me best?
The stream kicked off with the usual trio, but this time, they had a small whiteboard in hand. Lando sat center, eyes scanning his computer as he tweaked his Twitch setup.
“Ready?” he asked, giving his hair a final fluff before leaning back in his chair.
Max and Y/N finally set their phones aside, both nodding in sync with soft hums of agreement.
"So..." Lando clapped his hands to mark the start of the stream, prompting a chuckle from Y/N
“See? Told you he does that too,” Y/N said, leaning forward to look at Max.
Max grinned. “P said the exact same thing to me.”
“The clapping again?” Lando groaned, rubbing his cheek in mock frustration. “I swear I’ve been trying to stop. Someone tie me down already.”
“Y/N can do that tonight—like you two always do,” Max said with a cheeky smirk. “Right!” He punctuated the joke with a clap, then winced. “Ah, fuck. I did it too.”
That sent all three of them into a fit of laughter.
“We’re hopeless, mate,” Lando wheezed between laughs. “Alright, chat! We’re here for the ‘Best Friend vs. Girlfriend’ challenge—who knows me best?” He turned to Y/N with a playful look. “Or as she likes to call it…”
“‘Girlfriend versus Boyfriend,’” Y/N said, nodding seriously at the camera. “Because Max is my boyfriend’s boyfriend.”
“Oh, piss off,” Max laughed, shaking his head.
"I've started a poll, so you guys an vote on who you think will win" Lando says, handing each of them their own markers
“First question!” Lando grins, glancing between the two. “When and where was my Formula 1 debut?”
Max and Y/N immediately start scribbling on their boards, Lando casually jotting down his own answer with that signature smug smile.
Once they’re both done, Lando nods toward Max. “Alright, Max. You go first.”
Max flips his board with confidence. “2019, Australian Grand Prix.”
Lando chuckles and gives him a fist bump, flipping his board, revealing the same answer. “Point for Max.”
He turns to Y/N, who’s already rolling her eyes. “You got it wrong, didn’t you?”
“On the contrary,” Y/N says, flipping her board around with flair.
Lando and Max burst out laughing before she’s even finished reading.
“March 16, 2019. Australian Grand Prix. 3 PM local time,” she recites matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re fucking joking,” Max wheezes, clutching his stomach. “You gave her the questions beforehand, didn’t you?!” He shoots Lando an accusatory look.
“What?! No! I swear I didn’t!” Lando throws his hands up, still laughing.
“I’m just that good of a girlfriend,” Y/N shrugs, casually erasing her board and adding a neat little mark in the corner for the point she just earned.
“We weren’t even dating yet, baby,” Lando teases, wiping tears from his eyes.
“Yeah, but she definitely had a massive crush on you already,” Max adds with a smirk, wiping off his own board "Remember when you begged me to not tell him when I found out and you—"
"—Okay! That's enough from you Maxiepoo," she says clapping her hands trying to speed up the process "move on come on keep them coming!"
Lando chuckles and nods, reading another question off his phone, “Next one. What’s my worst habit?”
Both Max and Y/N immediately start writing without hesitation, clearly prepared.
Lando watches them suspiciously. “Why are you both so fast with that?”
Max flips his board first: “Biting his nails”
“Okay wow—” Lando starts.
But Y/N’s already turning hers around: “Saying ‘I’m fine’ when he’s clearly spiraling.” She underlines it twice for dramatic effect.
Lando throws his head back laughing. “Well fuck, I feel attacked.”
“You should,” Max says. “We’ve had an intervention, like, twice.”
“You ignored both,” Y/N adds, casually ticking her board again.
Lando just shakes his head. “You guys are supposed to be on my team.”
“No,” they say in unison. “We’re on the truth’s team.”
Chat? Loving it
"NOT THEM TEAMING UP ON LANDO" "Max and Y/N are so competitive with it" "lol i think they're playing who loves Lando more?" ------------------------------------------------
Mini Lando
It had been a two-week break between races, and Lando was soaking it all in, some sun, some sleep, and a whole lot of gaming with the boys back in Monaco.
Today was no different, Lando and Max were live on Twitch, lazily stacked in their usual setup, bantering, gaming, and occasionally getting completely distracted by chat. But there was one thing everyone in the comments couldn't stop talking about.
The clip had already gone semi-viral on F1 Twitter: Twitch stream, Max mid-sentence, Lando walking off-screen, only to pop back into frame quietly leaning over Y/N on the bean bag, hand resting softly on her stomach, the other brushing her hair away like some kind of soft boyfriend fever dream. That, paired with Y/N’s mysterious absence from this stream?
Yeah. The fanbase had collectively lost its mind.
“Where’s Y/N?” Lando reads aloud, scoffing with a half-smile as he leans back in his chair.
Max snickers but doesn't look up from his screen. “Mate, you’ve unleashed the internet. That clip’s everywhere.”
Lando chuckles. “I was literally just saying hi.”
“Sure,” Max says, dragging it out like he’s stirring something dangerous. “Saying hi with your hand on her stomach and playing with her hair like it’s a Nicholas Sparks movie.”
Lando defends, laughing now. “I was being a good boyfriend”
Chat explodes — everything from “we know what tired means” to “BABY LANDOOOOO??”
Lando shakes his head, clearly fed up with the stream chat spiraling out of control. With a sigh, he pulls out his phone and dials Y/N, holding it up on speaker for dramatic effect.
Almost instantly, her voice comes through, dry and familiar “You do know I’m in the bedroom, right?”
“Hi, my love,” Lando says sweetly, ignoring Max’s exaggerated eye roll. “Come here for a sec?”
Max doesn't miss a beat. “The tone shift is insane. Bro went from gamer rage to Shakespearean boyfriend in 0.2 seconds, someone study that.”
Lando reaches over and smacks his arm, earning a loud “Oi!” from Max.
“Lan,” Y/N groans on the other end, “I look like shit right now.”
“You always look beautiful, my love,” Lando says, dramatically and unapologetically simping. “Chat’s looking for you. And, apparently… baby Norris too.”
“Oh my Gosh,” she mutters, but the sound of movement comes through anyway.
Not a minute later, Y/N appears behind Lando’s chair, wrapped in a hoodie that definitely wasn't hers, her hair in a mess of clips and chaos. She leans down, placing a soft kiss to the top of Lando’s head.
“You called?” she murmurs.
Lando looks up at her like she hung the moon. “Hello, gorgeous.”
Max turns back around, still grinning. “Everyone thinks baby Norris is on the way.”
Y/N snorts. “We can’t even agree on getting a pet, and you guys think we’re having a child?”
Chat loses it. Lando’s smile widens as he reaches up and laces his fingers through hers.
“So that’s a no?” Max deadpans.
“That’s a hell no,” she says, laughing. “Not until he agrees to get a dog”
“Here we go again,” Lando groans, burying his face in her hand.
“I was just on my period, guys. Calm your T’s,” Y/N says casually, walking further into frame like she didn’t just drop a bomb on the chat.
Max chokes on his drink. “Okay then—!”
Lando just shrugs, grinning. “You wanted answers.”
Without missing a beat, Y/N walks over to the corner of the room and returns with a small basket cradled in her arms.
“Anyway,” she continues, unfazed by the hysteria in the comments, “look at the care package Lando got me.”
She plops down next to him and starts pulling items out like she’s hosting an unboxing video: a ridiculous amount of chocolates, sour gummies, a box of painkillers, a face mask, heating patches, and even a tiny plush dinosaur.
“For emotional support,” Lando adds, pointing at the dinosaur. "Tell everyone what you named him, baby"
“His name's Dino Ricciardo” Y/N says, nudging Lando with her shoulder. “He was just being a doting boyfriend, is all.”
Chat absolutely explodes — messages flooding “I’m crying real tears, this is PEAK boyfriend behavior”“CAN WE CLONE HIM?”“Dino Ricciardo world champ 2025”“Why am I single 😭”
Lando’s just grinning like an idiot while Max shakes his head. “Yeah, alright, you win. Everyone else can go home.”
------------------------------------------------------------
Cat gate
Lando and Max were lounging side by side in his gaming room, mid-break between rounds of Counter-Strike, when Lando’s phone lit up on the desk.
“Ooh, look who’s calling, chat,” he grinned, picking it up and flashing the screen toward the camera, a photo of Y/N, cheeks squished against his in a selfie. The chat instantly flooded with heart emojis.
“Probably misses me already,” he added smugly, answering with a teasing, “Hello, baby.”
“Yuck,” Max groaned beside him, visibly cringing as he read the chat explode with reactions to Lando’s soft tone. “Hate it here.”
“Hey, so, um… don’t be mad,” Y/N’s voice came through, the slightest bit hesitant.
Lando’s brows furrowed slightly. “That’s never a good start. What’s wrong, my love? You still out with Lily and Alex?”
“Yeah! We had such a good time—we played a little golf, got some lunch…” she said casually, but there was background noise now: distant music, a bit of wind, someone talking.
Lando glanced at Max, curious. “Sounds fun. You on your way back?”
“Almost home, yes. But okay, listen… there’s just this tiny thing.”
“Wait—" Lando cut in, scandalized. "You played golf without me? I’m actually offended.”
“Lan…”
“Traitor,” Max muttered, shaking his head at her through the mic. “She always says no when we ask.”
“Because Lily actually knows what she’s doing!” Y/N snapped back playfully, then sighed. “Anyway, that’s not the point—”
“You told him about the cat yet?” another voice chimed faintly in the background—Alex Albon, unmistakably.
Lando’s expression froze. “Cat? Did Alex just say cat? What cat?!”
Y/N laughed nervously, “Okay...you know what? We’ll talk about it later. We’re almost home. Ten minutes. Love you, bye!”
“Wait—we?” Lando sat up straighter, suddenly suspicious. “Baby, who’s we? Hello??”
The call had already ended.
Max burst out laughing. “Oh, you’re in trouble.”
Lando stared at the screen like it betrayed him. “What cat? Who is we?! Did she mean her and the cat?!”
Not long later, a soft knock echoed through the room.
Lando glanced at the door just as it creaked open, revealing Y/N’s head peeking in, her eyes wide with mischief and a grin tugging at her lips.
Max immediately leaned forward, laughing. “Oh, she’s definitely up to something. That’s the face of someone who’s just done something incredibly stupid… or incredibly amazing.”
Lando turned in his chair to face her, smiling despite himself. “Come in, baby. The stream’s on.”
She stepped fully into the room, and in her arms, curled up like a sleepy little angel, was a kitten. A tiny, soft-furred ball of fluff, blinking slowly and completely unfazed by the chaos around it.
“Before you say anything,” Y/N started quickly.
“Oh my god,” Max said, whipping his head toward Lando, his eyes wide with glee.
Lando just stared. “Baby… you didn’t.”
“We can’t. We’re barely even home,” he added, voice soft but edged with disbelief.
“I know,” she rushed out, walking toward him and gently placing the kitten in his lap. “Technically, she’s still Alex’s. One of their cats had a litter and I said we could foster one for a bit.”
Lando let out a breath as the kitten instantly curled into him, purring like a tiny engine. His hand instinctively began to stroke the soft fur.
“How am I even meant to carry a cat?” he muttered, spinning his chair a little to show the stream.
“Mate… what do you mean? You’re literally holding it,” Max deadpanned, watching in disbelief.
“So?” Y/N asked, bouncing slightly on her toes. “Can we keep her—for now? Alex said if you say no, that’s totally fine. We’ve got three months to decide.”
Lando looked up at her, caught somewhere between overwhelmed and completely smitten. “But I thought you wanted a dog?”
“I do!” she said, nodding eagerly. “But now they can be friends.”
Lando turned to Max for backup, but Max just shrugged. “Leave me out of this one, mate.”
Lando’s eyes flicked back to Y/N, a grin breaking across his face despite the chaos. He looked down at the kitten, now snoozing peacefully in his lap.
“What are we naming her?”
-----------------
-----------------
or, 5 moments in y/n and charles's life that made the internet go crazy :)
charles leclerc x norris! reader
-----------------
You walked into Charles’s room, a drink in hand. God, you forgot how hot Monaco was, even this late in the year. When you’d packed to come visit your boyfriend, you’d thought about the cold and miserable weather back home, not the hot, sweaty, humid, and sunny weather of Monaco. That’s how you ended up in a pair of Charles’s shorts, and just your bra.
“Baby?” He called you.
“Hm?” You nodded, not looking up from your phone as you lay on his bed. You knew he liked gaming, especially when it wasn’t much about racing, and you didn’t want to disturb him. But his room was the only one with working AC, and you were about to die in the kitchen’s heat.
When you didn’t get an answer you looked up to see his eyes firmly glued to you, rather than the fifa game he’d just lost. You could hear all his friends shouting at him for missing a goal and costing their team the win.
“What?” You chuckled, getting up and walking over to him.
“You look so beautiful, my love,” he pressed a kiss to your cheek when you bent down beside him, laughing at the comments in his ears about him being down-bad. “So pretty.”
“Thanks baby,” you smiled, casting your eyes to the chat, which was all about you and Charles, either complimenting how good you looked, or how cute you were together.
Landosnandos21: y/n is looking good. DAMN.
y/n’sversion: Monaco weather is a blessing if we get to see mother like this.
Charlesleclerc’stoes: alexa play ‘that should be me’ by justin bieber. (I’m taking about charles his woman is FINE.)
y/n’shairfolical: marriage when? children with perfect genetics when?
Pastryboy81: if he’s not this obsessed with me, i don’t want it.
You laughed at the chat as Charles let his hands wander down your back to your ass, then further to your thighs.
“Hey!” You heard Lando’s voice through his headphones. “Get your hands off my sister! Stop being weird on stream!”
You laughed as Charles dropped his hands from you like you were on fire. “Lando, shut up,” you held your middle finger up to the camera, hoping he’d see it as Charles laughed with you.
“I’m just going to turn the AC on, ok?” You turned to Charles, who stared for a second, then nodded like a puppy. “Thanks,” you smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips, then going back over to the bed and turning the AC on.
His gaming continued for another 20 minutes before he shut off the game and came over to you. “Hello baby,” he smiled, pressing a kiss to your neck as he lay beside you. You kissed back as his hands wrapped around you, pulling you closer. Though his body was warm, you didn’t really mind. “Can we-?” he smiled bashfully and you chuckled.
“Is the stream off?” You asked, knowing his challenges with technology.
“Maybe? I do not know,” he chuckled. “I don’t really care.”
You chuckled, but got up anyway, actually turning off the stream. “Bye guys!” Only a bit embarrassed.
-----------------
Charles had been training and preparing since the moment he’d gotten up that morning, aka, he hadn’t seen you. There he sat, in his freezing ice bath, when he caught a glimpse of what he thought to be you, cycling with Carlos. He gave a sneaky look to the camera that was on him, then; one second he was there, his trainer looked away, and the next second, he was gone. Shot off like a rocket in your direction. You and Carlos had to jump off your bikes and almost fall over to get out of his way, and even then he chased you all around the paddock, trying to get a hug.
“Charles! You’re soaking wet!” You laughed as you felt the eyes of the entire team on you two.
“Come on mi amor! I have not seen you all day! I never race my best without seeing you!” He pleaded, still chasing after you.
Your laughing stopped when Carlos grabbed you by the shoulders to stop you from running away, helping Charles’s plan. He held you to his chest as Charles celebrated and thanked him, and as the team videoed.
Finally, Charles made his way over to you and smirked. “A hug, my love?”
And you had no choice. You were passed from Carlos’s arms to Charles’s and hit with the freezing water that coated his swim shorts and his body. “Fuck Charles!” You squealed. “You’re freezing!”
He just laughed and pressed your head further into his neck, pressing kisses to the top of your head as the paddock became a chorus of ‘awws’ and ‘oooos’.
“I’m getting you back for this,” you gritted, low enough so only he could hear it.
He smiled wider. “I know you will.”
-----------------
Charles was doing another stream with the f1 boys, you knew that. Charles liked to get very focused on what he was doing, you knew that. But Charles had also promised to come pick you up from the airport, and after 30 minutes of waiting for Arthur to find his baggage (birthday surprise for Charles), then 40 minutes of waiting for Charles, nothing. Not even a phone call or a text. You were exhausted, Vancouver to Monaco was an 11 hour flight, and you hadn’t slept a wink thanks to the guy in front of you, who’s snores could’ve started an avalanche if they were given the chance.
You opened twitch and pressed on Charles’s stream, to find him busy racing with the other boys. You sighed and decided to just get a cab instead, not wanting to bother him. He could be very forgetful, and you knew that.
After a 32 minute drive, walking up the stairs with your suitcase since the elevator was out of order, and coming inside, you dropped your suitcase by the door, and went straight to your neighbours apartment to get Charles’s other birthday present even if you weren’t going to try and talk to Charles right now, not when you were that angry.
Charless16900: wasn’t y/n coming home today? Did you pick her up?
Charles glanced at the chat to see the message and his face fell. He was meant to pick you up- he looked at his watch- more than an hour ago. He checked his phone to find the messages you’d left and he sighed.
“I am in big trouble,” he told the group, a sorrowful look in his eyes.
George chuckled. “What? Why? What did you do?”
“I forgot to pick up Y/n from the airport!” He groaned. “She got a taxi instead.”
“Oh, so that was the noise from earlier, your door opening,” Alex added.
“What?!” Charles squeaked. “She is home already?”
“I think so mate,” Max laughed. “Good luck.”
Charles got up from his chair for a few minutes to go and talk to you. “Baby?” He called out to the apartment. “I’m sorry?”
And then a pillow was flung at his face. “You dick!” Arthur shouted. “You forgot us at the airport!”
Charles stared at his little brother, completely confused. “What are you doing here?” He chuckled, throwing the pillow back.
“I am here for your birthday surprise!” Arthur explained, throwing the pillow back at him. “You know, the one Y/n set up?”
Charles shook his head, even more confused.
“Thanks Arthur, congratulations, you ruined the surprise,” you walked in with a small dachshund in your arms. “Well, here's the other part of the surprise.”
Charles stared at you. “You got me a dog?” He smiled, taking the dachshund from your arms.
“I got us a dog,” you corrected him. “Happy birthday-eve,” you smiled. “Also fuck you for not picking me up from the airport.”
“Yeah, exactly!” Arthur cheered, annoying Charles. “You could’ve seen me way faster- ew! Stop it!”
Arthur started complaining because Charles had started kissing you. You chuckled into the kiss as one of his arms wrapped around your waist and the other held your new dog. Your arms wrapped around his neck as Arthur threw a pillow at the both of you, causing Charles to pull away and start chasing him around the apartment.
You chuckled to yourself and picked up the pillow, fixing up your bed. Maybe you could forgive Charles for his mistake. Then you looked at his gaming set-up and saw that everything was still on and that he was still streaming.
“Charles!” you scolded, going over and ending the stream with a wave. “Turn off the stream before you run off!”
“Sorry, my love!” He called back.
“And Arthur!” you shouted. “Stop chasing your brother around my house, you’re going to break something!”
“Sorry!” He called back.
-----------------
You watched with bated breath as the qualifier for the Monaco GP dragged on. It was the last lap, Oscar right on his tail, and…
He did it. He crossed the finish line first. Ahead of Max, ahead of Oscar, ahead of everyone.
The entire paddock was alive with cheering. Every person pulled someone closer in with hugs and cheers, and it was all thanks to Charles. Arthur and you were jumping up and down, ecstatic that he’d won. As soon as you two could, you ran to the lineup and watched as he jumped out of the car, running straight towards you. He pulled off his helmet, handing it off to someone, then he scooped you up in his arms, a bright smile on his face as he kissed you. The small camera crew and the number of fans around clapped and cheered as cameras flashed and pictures were taken.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” you smiled. “My winner.”
“Your winner, always. And soon, your husband."
Thank god neither of you were wearing microphones.
-----------------
“Does being Charles Leclerc make you fuck more?”
Charles tried to stifle the shit-eating grin on his face when he looked up and found you with your head in your hands, shaking your head and laughing as the second-hand embarrassment hit you like a freight train.
He chuckled. “I am very lucky, I am very in love and my beautiful girlfriend loves me too,” he smirked. “But the answer is definitely yes,” he laughed as the other interviews burst into uncontrollable laughter. Obviously he was making a joke (no he wasn’t, you two went at it like bunny rabbits), but it was awfully embarrassing for you both. Charles beckoned you over and you obliged, only to set the record straight.
“He’s joking about that,” you clarified. “And don’t be so sure on how much your girlfriend loves you after that answer,” You scolded. Charles laughed, holding you closer and pressing ‘apology’ kisses to any piece of you he could reach. The video ended with Charles chasing you around the paddock as you ducked past people to evaded his capture.
-----------------
navigation for my blog :)
personal faves f contains smut(ty parts) s
s KINDA HOT THO ; part one / part two
In which your brother has the most awful new teammate, but you keep finding yourself closer and closer to him. It's only sex - right?
s ROOMMATES (finished) ; part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine / part ten
In which you have to live with your brothers best friend who you really don't like, Lando Norris, and his many 'girlfriends' for a while, but there's always a thin line between love and hate.
f & s MORE THAN FRIENDS (finished) ; part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine / part ten / part eleven / part twelve
In which your best friend is going to help you to gain more sexual experience and say goodbye to your insecurities, but he's quick to discover that he never wants to share you and your new experiences with others - the only problem being, him having to confess his feelings.
s HIS TEAMMATE (finished) ; part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine / part ten / part eleven / part twelve / part thirteen
In which you find yourself getting closer to your brothers new teammate who's a total dick.
THE RACE LOSER (finished); part one / part two
In which you see your ex best friend again, after he cut off contact between you to because he needed to focus on racing
f & s MISTAKE(S) (finished); part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine
In which you keep making the same mistake over and over again by fucking the boy you hate the most
INTO IT (finished) ; part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine / part ten / part eleven
In which you really, really dislike your brothers new found best friend - Lando Norris - but you keep finding your way back to him
f&s FWB (finished) ; part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine / part ten / part eleven
In which you decide to become friends with benefits with Lando Norris, that can't be a bad idea right?
THE SISTER (finished) ; part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine / part ten
In which your the little sister of Max Verstappen and you meet Lando Norris, who quickly turns in to one of your best friends. But there's a thin line between friends & lovers
f&s BREAKING THE RULES (finished) ; part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven
In which Lando is your brothers rival during the championship, but you can't seem to stay away from him
s His stripper ; In which Lando his friends take him to a stripclub, where he meets you. He's quick to come back weekly, every Tuesday you're his. But when he comes another day and finds you on the lap of some other guy, something in him snaps.
s Not a chance ; In which Lando thinks he's going to win a race, to which you tell him the chances of you two fucking are as low as him winning a race - so what happens when he wins?
Regret ; In which Lando breaks up with you, but starts to regret it even more when he sees you back on the racetrack. Can he still fix things?
f Fake date ; In which Lando helps you piss of your ex boyfriend by acting like your fake new boyfriend
His masseur ; In which you're Lando his best friend and masseur, but your feelings start to cause a bit of trouble
s Crazy ; in which Lando and you are crazy for each other without knowing it from each other, until Lando loses his temper while seeing you with another
f Date ; in which Lando needs an awful push from his friends to finally ask you out
Afterparty ; in which you and Lando are oblivious idiots & you go to the afterparty with someone else after Lando told you it was no big deal, spoiler: it was a big deal
Little game ; in which you and Lando are fighting, so you decide to test his feelings for you with a little game
do you regret it?
Charles Leclerc x Lando's Girlfriend!Reader count: 2.2k words summary: You're dating Lando, but a whirlwind of a night finds you waking up in Charles's bed, with a mountain of consequences and decisions to make - and realities you need to face about your relationship. a/n: some mentions of smut, but 18+ only please!
You wake with a throbbing headache, a parched mouth, and sheets that smell of familiar-but-not-enough cologne. Your eyes flicker open and shut immediately, the light blinding you. Why is there light? The shutters are set to automatically go down once the sun sets.
Next to you, a body stirs. The weight of an arm rests on your waist, underneath the covers, and you feel them snuggle closer, nuzzling their nose in the back of your neck.
Lando never holds you in the morning.
Memories of last night flash before you—a club, salt burning on your tongue with the aftertaste of tequila, hungry lips on your neck, wandering hands under your miniskirt, the pleasant ache of a body pounding into yours—and for a moment you’re fine, thinking it was just another night out, until you remember your boyfriend isn’t even in the country.
It wasn’t your home you went back to – it was Charles’s.
“Stay,” you hear a murmur, a deep voice still laced with sleep. “Let’s just pretend, for a few more minutes.”
“Charles—”
“Please.”
He pulls you even closer, kissing your neck, and more memories flash before you. He held you last night, he pulled you back together when you told him about your troubles with Lando, he showed you what it meant to be—
Safe, you realise.
What it felt like to be safe with another person. Loved and cherished. Devoured. Worshipped.
Your shoulders relax against your will and his hand finds your arm, holding you. He kisses your neck again before you hear him snore a few moments later, his arm falling limp again.
This wasn’t right. This was—
What you have with Lando might not be the best, or even good, most of the time, but this is another thing entirely.
“This shouldn’t—This shouldn’t have happened.”
Charles stirs awake, pulling you gently until you’re facing him. His hair is ruffled and you remember tugging at it last night, screaming his name in pleasure. Your centre gives a little throb at the memory. You can’t tear your eyes from him – sleepy, dazed Charles, looking at you like all he wants is you.
“We can feel bad about it later,” says Charles. “What’s done is done.”
You wait a beat. “Do you regret it?”
He laughs; you can’t help but smile at the sound. “I’m not an idiot to regret something like that. Do you?”
There’s an ache in your chest and you turn away. He clears his throat and gets himself out of bed, and you know you’ve made yourself clear. Just because it was good doesn’t mean you shouldn’t regret it.
If he’s hurt by your silence, Charles doesn’t show. He hands you some of his clothes and a glass of water with a smile. He talks about his plans for the day, too – there’s a gala he’ll be attending later, with a few interviews before that and a photoshoot scheduled in a few hours. The more he talks, the less it feels like what happened last night really happened, and you find yourself going back to it, almost as if making sure you remember it.
It started at the club. There was a text from Lando, contents of which you can’t recall, and your phone is dead on the nightstand. It brought you spiralling, whatever it was – you’d been arguing a lot, lately. Over the smallest things. He’d been staying away from the flat you shared more, too, with friends or at conferences you were only invited to if there was a need to show the two of you as a couple.
Charles was there.
It’s not like it was the first, or even the hundredth time you spoke. He was always around, at the periphery of everything going on, and you’ve seen him walk past during some of the heated exchanges you’ve shared with your boyfriend. You didn’t even need to say what happened before he was at your side, a consoling arm over your shoulder in the VIP section of the club.
Lando was the reason you went out in the first place. Have fun without me. You didn’t want to, but it didn’t matter, because he wasn’t coming home.
That was the text, you remember. Lando said he’d be staying elsewhere for the next few weeks.
“You alright?” asks Charles.
“Yeah.”
“You’ve got…”
He reaches forward and wipes your cheek with his thumb, a black stain marring it.
Neither of you speak, for a while.
“You deserve better.” He doesn’t look at you while he says this. “He doesn’t—He can’t treat you right.”
“That’s not for you to decide,” you snap back.
His eyes find yours. “That wasn’t the case last night.”
“Last night was…”
“Different?” he offers. His hand makes its way to your thigh, still bare. “Good?”
Your breath hitches in your throat at the sight of him like this, at the memory of him in the cab, where you should’ve gone to yours, when you kissed him and asked him if you were worth it, and he said—
“You’re worth everything, if you ask me,” Charles says again. “You could—We could have everything.”
You never ended up going back to yours, last night. You drove straight to his and then he fucked you on this bed, better than Lando’s fucked you your whole relationship. When he looked at you, deep inside of you, you could tell that he was looking at you. He was present. He was savouring every moment.
Lando only ever fucks you from behind.
Charles’s hand finds yours, pulling you back to the present. “I meant every word I said last night.”
“You mean, when you were fucking Lando’s girlfriend?”
He looks as if struck. “I couldn’t care less about Lando.”
“You said all the right things last night,” you say. “All the right things to get me in your bed.”
“If you tell me you regret it, I’ll know you’re lying.”
“That doesn’t ma—”
“You wanted it,” Charles says, pushing himself across the bed until you’re against the headboard, his face inches from yours. “You needed it as much as I did. You know there’s more between us than there is between you and him.”
“There’s a relationship—”
“Sure. But the way you were moaning my name last night, nobody’s made you feel that good in a while.”
His mouth is on your neck again and his hand is slipping up your thigh, gentle and slow but determined. You want to push him away—you need to—but you don’t. You let him touch the spot between your legs, kiss your neck, grab your hair at the nape of your neck, and you let him do so with a shudder, a moan.
“That’s my girl,” he whispers.
And you are, you realise. When did it start? You’ve been orbiting each other for years, like twin suns, laughing at each other’s jokes in the paddock and during press events, but it was never like this.
But you knew. Deep down, you’ve always known. His jaw would harden at the sight of you and Lando arguing, he’d always hold the door for you when Lando left you in his wake. He’d always be the gentleman by your side.
Until he was no longer the gentleman, nor by your side, but on top of you when you needed him the most.
“Charles,” you breathe out, and he stops. “We shouldn’t.”
“Do you want to?”
You can’t say no.
His phone rings, saving you, and he backs away from you with a heavy sigh. Through the fabric of his sweatpants, you can see the bulge – it’s only hours since you had it in your hands, in your mouth.
Your mouth goes dry again.
Charles talks on the phone in another room, but you hear the grunts, the apologies, the anger rising in his voice. When he comes through you’re all dressed, ready to see yourself out, only the look on his face freezes you in place.
He opens his mouth, then closes it.
“What’s going on?”
He’s pale, now.
Some part of you already knows. You brace yourself, one hand on the door, the other twirling a loose thread in your pocket.
He doesn’t say anything, though. He just hands you his phone.
You scroll through the photos and your heart sinks to your stomach. There’s that cheeky grin on your face, the dazed look, smudged mascara on your cheeks, but your hand is in Charles’s, and then in his hair, and then his lips are on yours. Breaking news, it says. The article outlines the events of last night in a wrong, disorderly fashion, but close enough to the truth that you know it’s game over.
You’ve gone and fucked it all.
Charles holds you and you realise your knees are shaking, giving in. He guides you to the couch and you sit there, breathing deeply, scrolling through the photos as if they’d change, tell a story that wasn’t so incriminating.
All you can manage is, “How?”
“Some people knew I’d be there,” he says. “They probably just got more than they bargained for.”
“Lando must be blowing up my phone by now.”
Even as you say it, you know it’s not true. You know it as you knew what Charles would show you – certain truths don’t need to be acknowledged to be true. Lando might be pissed, but he won’t show. He won’t care to show.
“I’ve ruined everything,” you whisper.
“Maybe this—It could be a good thing. It could be a fresh start.”
You laugh.
“I mean it,” says Charles. He comes closer, wrapping his arms around you, pulling you against him. “We don’t have to hide what happened.”
“Do you expect me to just drop my whole life?”
“Do you love him?”
“Yes.”
“Do you?”
The whole time you’ve known him, Charles has never been anything but sincere with you. He’s never questioned anything you didn’t want questioned, when the paddock seemed to breathe in relief once Lando made things official, the story of childhood friends turned sweethearts. He didn’t ask when he caught you preparing to be Lando’s girlfriend, to act different, to enjoy the changes between you.
It was always meant to be. That’s what everyone’s been saying your whole life. You grew up with Lando, you travelled with him when you could, of course you’d be the one. Of course you’d spend the last three years of your life going through the motions, doing what’s expected, not once asking yourself if you really love him.
“I do,” you say.
He’s always been there for you.
When you were friends. When you were younger. When there was no expectations, at least not vocal ones, when the world didn’t care for who you were.
You feel Charles stiffen, but you hold onto his arm. “But not as a boyfriend,” you admit. “I don’t know if—I don’t think I ever did.”
He lets the statement hang in the air, but not for him – for you. By the looks of it, he’s known this for a while.
His hand finds your face and you lean into it. “We can deal with the media. The whole thing. It’s—I can talk to the right people and make it disappear. Tell a different story.”
“Lando would want—”
“I don’t care. I don’t. He lost the right to you a long time ago. He never should’ve had it in the first place.”
“He didn’t have the right to me,” you snap. “No one does. Not him, not you.”
Charles sighs. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. You know what I’m talking about.”
You do, you have for a while, but that doesn’t mean you can bring yourself to say it, too.
It doesn’t seem to matter, because his thumb brushes your cheek and his eyes gaze into yours with so much affection and care and desire that you realise you’ve known about how he’s felt about you, too.
Another one of those truths.
“We could have it, you know,” he whispers. “We could have it all. If you want to.”
“If I want what?”
“Me.”
This – this is what it boils down to. You can walk out that door and deal with the aftermath by yourself, knowing there’ll be no one to tell you to hold your head high as you collect your belongings, because there’s no going back. Even if the situation could be salvaged, Charles has shown you what you’ve been hiding from yourself. This wasn’t a relationship you wanted to salvage.
Or you could let him take you through that door. Show you to the world as his, kiss you like nothing else matters, fuck you while moaning your name just as loud as you moan his. You could have it, all of it.
All you have to do is give in.
You kiss him, instead of an answer, but the way he kisses you back, you know he doesn’t need one.
started this for the lolz idk how max verstappen seduced me into writing fanfic again 10 years after my last piece (a one direction wattpad classic at age 12), with a full time job and living on the opposite side of the globe but here we go 🏎️🏎️ do NOT repost/translate my writing I only post on tumblr so lmk if u see anything sus 🤨
MAX VERSTAPPEN (F1) X READER.
the one where you’re trying to seduce your loving, sweet boyfriend into giving it to you good and rough.
READ PART ONE HERE (4k word count)
READ PART TWO HERE (4k word count)
READ PART THREE HERE (2.5k word count)
the one where innocent virgin!reader has been pining after her older brother’s best friend!Max.
READ IT HERE (5.5k word count)
the one where you hate playboy! Max after he broke your heart in a toxic situationship, but you two can't stay away from each other.
READ IT HERE (3.1k word count)
the one where innocent, virgin!reader asks childhood best friend! Max to help her get a boyfriend.
READ IT HERE (3.3k word count)
the one where reporter!reader apologises to Mad Max after always pissing him off in interviews for the views.
READ IT HERE (4k word count)
the one where innocent virgin! Reader recently started dating RB driver, Daniel. But it’s his younger, faster and richer ex teammate Max who treats you better - and he won’t stop until you’re all his.
READ IT HERE (4k word count)
the one where you’re Lewis’s innocent sister, and are desperate to be a driver. Even if it means obediently following the coaching of your family's enemy, Max Verstappen.
READ IT HERE (3.4k word count)
the one where you and your devoted husband, Max, are happily married with your three pets for years. One night, he surprises you by bringing up the topic of having a real baby.
PART ONE (5.7k word count)
PART TWO (7k word count)
the one where Mad Max decides to get back at his antagonising boss by using his precious bratty daughter who's promised she'll save herself for marriage.
READ IT HERE (5.2k word count)
the one where you’re Max Verstappen’s new race engineer. Great news for women in motorsport! There’s just one problem though…you’ve been secretly in love with the Dutchman for years.
READ IT HERE (3.2k word count)
the one where you and your fiancé, Max, grew up under the weight of demanding fathers. After a bad race where Max ends up in a low place mentally, you know how to make him feel better.
READ IT HERE (3.1k word count)
the one where you find your beauty under harsh scrutiny from Max's fans when you go public. He uses a rather…hands on method to prove you have nothing to worry about.
READ IT HERE (3.3k word count)
the one where you’re the exasperated PR Manager for notorious playboy!Max. But when you’re sick of cleaning up his PR messes, he offers a very practical solution to your problem.
READ IT HERE (4.7k word count)
the one where you’ve landed your dream job as a FIA executive as Toto Wolff's pretty daughter. You’re eager to become Lando’s girlfriend…until he hands you over as an apology gift to Max.
READ IT HERE (5.6k word count)
the one where you're Mercedes' new rookie driver, and your very late presentation makes your relationship with your rival, Max, turn upside down. Omegaverse AU
PART ONE (5.4k word count)
PART TWO (10k word count)
the one where you’re Carlos’ younger sister, the inexperienced, shy princess of your family. But when you meet his friend Max, you can’t hold back your want anymore…and neither can he.
READ IT HERE (5k word count)
the one where you're Ferrari's princess and often fight the Dutch Lion in wheel to wheel battles. But on a night out, you find there's something in the air (or in your drink) that makes you give into secret desires for your rival, Max.
READ IT HERE (3.7k word count)
the one where you’re Charles’s baby sister, and have always had a crush on his childhood friend, Max, until he becomes your bully and worst nightmare. Now, years later, you meet again…and this time he won’t let you escape.
READ IT HERE (9k word count)
the one where you're a strategist for McLaren, and have plotted up many a plan that lead to Redbull's downfall this year. Max Verstappen isn't fond of your schemes, so when you fall into his sinful world of pleasure and partying, he can't resist a chance to ruin you completely.
READ IT HERE (4.1k word count)
the one where Max’s interest is finally peaked after months of boredom - by a angelic looking camgirl with a mouth of sin. Just wait till he finds out that you were the ex teammate’s sister he’d always assumed to be shy and innocent.
READ IT HERE (3.8k word count)
the one where after retiring from his successful racing career, Max Verstappen goes on to be team principal of his equally successful racing team. Too bad he just can't stop thinking about putting his star racer - you - out of commission permanently by getting you pregnant.
READ IT HERE (1.8k word count)
the one where you're the people's princess, as the daughter of the Mayor of Monaco. And you're determined to put your family's enemies behind bars - the infamous Verstappen mafia. But there's a fine line between love and war...and you learn this the hard way with Max Verstappen, the Dutch Leuuw.
READ IT HERE (9.5k word count)
the one where you're Max's best friend and are determined to find him the perfect birthday present since he's spoilt you every year on yours. Just when you're ready to give up, inspiration strikes when you overhear him complaining about the one thing he wants in bed.
READ IT HERE (3.3k word count)
the one where Max trains his innocent best friend to take him perfectly. Too bad you had no idea how far your beloved childhood friend had taken you training, given how you were usually peacefully asleep in his bed when he began.
READ IT HERE (4.2k word count)
You and Max Verstappen have recently gone public with your relationship, a true enemies to lovers tale as Redbull’s golden boy and Ferrari’s princess. The public still think it’s all a PR scam…until your sex tape gets leaked. Your fans lose it!!
READ IT HERE
You and Max both take racing victories in Vegas 2024, you winning your first F2 race and Max of course taking his 4th WDC. What better way to congratulate your good friend and teammate than rewarding him with post race sex at the club after party?
READ IT HERE
SYNOPSIS Lando Norris is notorious for being a party boy—a fuck boy, even—with his numerous entanglements, fleeting thrills, and reckless nights. He's never expected to find anyone who could make him want more. But then he spots you—grounded, responsible, and effortlessly captivating—and he realizes he might be in trouble. All it took was one conversation, one exchanged number, and suddenly, the life he’s always known doesn’t seem as fulfilling anymore.
CHAPTERS ᡣ𐭩 One: I Thought I Had Everything, I Was Lonely ᡣ𐭩 Two: Got My Head In The Clouds, Counting All My Stars ᡣ𐭩 Three: Could You Tell Where My Head Was At When You Found Me? ᡣ𐭩 Four: Me And You Went To Hell And Back Just To Find Peace ᡣ𐭩 Epilogue: In My Ears, Said The World Was Ours
୨ৎ : pairing : max verstappen x fem!reader ୨ৎ : synopsis : you're a top pr manager tasked with handling the infamous max verstappen, known for his fiery temper and controversial outbursts
୨ৎ : genre : romance, angst, humor ୨ৎ : tws : mild language, unserious bantering, suggestive humor, mentions of alcohol consumption. ୨ৎ : wc : 935
part one | part two | part three | part four | epilogue
You adjust your blazer, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles, and take a deep breath. Today's the day you finally meet Max Verstappen, your new and arguably most challenging client. As one of the top PR managers in the biz, you've handled prima donnas and hotheads before, but something tells you Verstappen is going to be a whole new level of difficult.
You stride into the Red Bull Racing headquarters, the polished floors and sleek design a stark contrast to the grit and grime of the racetrack. You're led to a sterile conference room, the air conditioning humming a monotonous tune. You settle into a chair, the leather cool against your skin, and pull out your meticulously crafted PR plan.
The door swings open abruptly, and in walks Max Verstappen. He's even more imposing in person than on screen. Tall, lean, with those intense blue eyes that seem to pierce right through you. He throws himself into a chair across from you, his expression a mix of boredom and irritation.
"So," he drawls, "you're the one they hired to babysit me."
You resist the urge to roll your eyes. "I'm your new PR manager, Max. I'm here to help you manage your public image."
He scoffs. "Like I need help with that."
"Everyone can use a little help," you say calmly, meeting his gaze. "Especially when you have a tendency to say whatever pops into your head."
His eyes narrow. "Are you saying I'm stupid?"
"Not at all," you reply smoothly. "I'm saying you're... impulsive. And sometimes, impulsivity can lead to... PR nightmares."
He leans back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips. "And you think you can control me?"
"Control you? No," you say with a slight smile. "But I can help you channel that energy, that passion, into something positive. Something that will make your fans love you even more."
He raises an eyebrow. "And what's in it for you?"
"A challenge," you admit. "And the satisfaction of knowing I helped tame the beast."
He lets out a short, harsh laugh. "Tame the beast, huh? Good luck with that."
You spend the next hour outlining your PR strategy. You talk about social media engagement, charitable partnerships, and even suggest some media training to help him handle those pesky interviews. He listens with a detached expression, occasionally interrupting with a sarcastic comment or a dismissive wave of his hand.
Just when you think you're making some headway, he drops a bombshell.
"Look," he says, leaning forward, "I appreciate the effort, but I'm not interested in changing who I am. I say what I think, I do what I want, and if people don't like it, that's their problem."
You take a deep breath, trying to maintain your composure. "Max, I understand that you value your authenticity, but—"
"Authenticity?" he interrupts, his voice rising. "You want authenticity? Fine. Here's some authenticity for you: I think this whole PR thing is a load of crap. I don't need you, or anyone else, to tell me how to behave."
He stands up abruptly, sending his chair scraping against the floor. "If that's all, I have a simulator session to get to."
He turns to leave, but you stop him. "Max, wait—"
He pauses, glancing back at you with an impatient frown.
"Just one thing," you say, holding his gaze. "You might not think you need me, but I'm here to stay. And sooner or later, you're going to realize that I'm not just some PR puppet. I'm here to help you, whether you like it or not."
He stares at you for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, a slow smile spreads across his face.
"You're feisty," he says, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "I'll give you that."
He turns to leave again, but just as he reaches the door, he pauses and looks back at you over his shoulder.
"Oh, and one more thing," he says, his voice low and husky. "Don't get any ideas. This is strictly professional."
And with that, he's gone, leaving you standing there with your heart pounding and a strange mix of frustration and anticipation swirling inside you.
You gather your things, a flicker of annoyance in your eyes. Max's arrogance is almost comical. He'll learn soon enough that you're not just some yes-man, here to stroke his ego. You're here to make him shine, whether he likes it or not.
As you exit the conference room, your footsteps echo in the hallway. You're about to head back to your temporary office when you hear voices drifting from a nearby room. It sounds like Max, his voice laced with that same dismissive tone he used with you.
Curiosity piqued, you slow down, your footsteps barely making a sound on the plush carpet.
"...told her I don't need some PR person breathing down my neck," Max is saying. "It's ridiculous. I know how to handle myself."
A chuckle from another voice, presumably one of his team members. "Yeah, well, good luck explaining that to Helmut after your last press conference."
More laughter.
"Seriously though," Max continues, "this whole thing is a joke. I'm not going to change who I am for some corporate sponsors or some uptight PR—"
He stops abruptly, and you hear the scrape of a chair. You realize you've been eavesdropping and quickly step away from the door, your heart pounding.
You continue down the hallway, your mind racing. So, Max thinks this whole thing is a joke, does he? He thinks you're just some "uptight PR person" who can't handle his "authenticity"?
You might not be able to change who he is, but you can certainly help him present a better version of himself to the world. And you're going to make him see that, even if it's the last thing you do.
© 2024 jungwnies | All rights reserved. Do not repost, plagiarize, or translate.
fernando alonso
tags: smut/pwp, age gap (22/43), sugar daddy au, ditzy!reader, rough sex, daddy kink, doggy style, chokehold, dirty talk, mean!fernando, age kink (?)
fernando knew that it had been a good few years since he won a world championship. the two time world champion felt the crawl of age when you looked at him with such innocent eyes and said,
"two-thousand and six? i was like... four years old!"
fernando could feel the grey hairs as you said that. you were twenty-two years old, you were born the year that fernando started in formula one. he knew what he was getting himself into, but to put in that sort of perspective made him feel old.
he ran a hand through your hair and said, "i guess that is right, my love." then patted your cheek, "why don't we get started on dinner."
you ciripus looked at him as you put your hand on his thigh. you said to him tenderly, "but, daddy... it's only one in the afternoon? we don't have to make dinner that early!"
fernando watched you by the pool in his yard. he had watched you in that little green bikini clean out the leaves from the pool earlier. you looked adorable as he eyed your behind as you bent over to shake the leaves from the net. you cutely scolded the leaves when they ended up in the grass. you were just a little airhead, weren't you? you were at times painfully innocent, and fernando enjoyed being a guiding hand in your life. especially when his hand was in your hair and had you bent over.
today he had invited you over, anything to get you away from the little shoebox you refused to move from. he enjoyed the sight of you in his space. to have you in his home. it was where you belonged. it didn't help that you were to die for in the little outfits that showed off a lot of skin and all of your curves. all clothes bought with fernando's credit card. he happily bought you clothes that he could eye fuck you in.
he liked you in pastels, in cuts that showed off your breasts and skirts that he could flip up easily, preferably with no panties underneath. you were his questionably younger lover, but fernando couldn't care less.
let them stare, it only encouraged fernando to claim you further. to keep you as his. he continued to watch you from the patio door as you moved the lounging chair further on the grass where the sun was the strongest. you then laid out on it with your gossip magazine.
you looked nicer than any trophy that fernando had. the metal looked duller compared to your gleaming smile. he moved outside and into the yard, his eyes hungry for you. and you barely noticed him as he approached, you were too engrossed with the trashy articles. you didn't see your sugar daddy approaching you.
he eyed your figure closer. the pastel green looked lovely against your skin. the top of your bikini pressed your breasts together and then a bead sweat dripped down the valley of your plush breasts.
you only noticed him when he blocked the sun from your face. you tipped your glasses down and looked at him, "yes, daddy?" he only noticed the gloss on your lips, he wondered if it was the expensive gloss that you begged to have. you were very good at getting what you wanted. fernando liked to spoil you.
"someone enjoying the sun today?" he sat by your stretched out legs. he ran his hand up and down your exposed thigh, "no one else has seen this, have they?" a small curl of pleasure in his gut at the sight of you. his words were tinged with mild possession.
you were all his.
"fernando." you giggled a little, "i guess someone want more than just some sun, huh?" you smiled with more warmth than any prize he could obtain. you were a mini sun in your own right.
"well, you're much brighter than the sun, my love." he continued to rub your leg. you looked at him and smiled brightly at him. he only returned the favourite, but his touch felt possessive. "next time." he said, "i need to buy you a different swimsuit. they'll be tripping over themselves at the sight of you."
"because i look so bad?"
"no, because you look too good." fernando leaned forward and kissed you on the lips. you tasted like bubblegum. he groaned into the kiss before he pressed further into you. his strong hands held onto your shoulders.
you lived a charmed little life with fernando wrapped around your fingers. you didn't abuse your power, you were a good girl after all. if you were good girl, then he'd be good to you. you ended up leaned further back in the chair and moaned into a heated kiss. his hands were on your soft breasts, you panted against him, "please, honey. i need you. it has been too long."
"daddy."
"princess." he said softly, "i know we just did it this morning. i made you squirm under me. you sounded so beautiful when you came." he chuckled against your heated skin. warmed from the sun, "so beautiful, no one else can have in that way. the way i do. you're all mine."
his tone was possessive and his touches were even more so. it wasn't long before you ended up with the chair all the way back and you on your stomach. fernando was between your legs as he eyed your behind in the green bikini bottoms. they framed your ass beautifully, but the fabric looked better thrown into the pool and his cock up against your behind. you felt amazing even if he wasn't having sex with you yet.
that was soon changed with almost seven inched sank inside of your needy little cunt. you fit him perfectly, it did take a while for you to get used to his cock. it was a little too big for someone like you. it felt good to do it outside, the sun on your skin while your lover drilled his cock into you.
"fuck, princess. look at you,, you need this, you want this my cock inside of your little pussy. you know this is where it belongs." he groaned as he continued to fuck you.
"please, daddy! ah, fernando!" you were obsessed with him. you wanted him in every way you could get your hands on him. in reality he was as equal as obsessed with you.
fernando wanted you deeply, to ruin you for anyone else. so you'd only want him, even if fernando stopped spoiling you with gifts (unlikely), but he'd always spoil you with orgasms.
you moved against the chair with his movements, it felt arousing as your nipples rubbed up against your bikini top and the chair. you gasped and your back arched as his cock hit just the right place. he could hear everything you had, it was only right that you gave him some sugar, to let him devour you beautifully.
"no one else." he said, "no one else, but you." he combed his fingers through your hair as he continued to move against you. he kissed at the nape of your neck and felt you shudder against him. there was a certain quality to you that pulled him in. that he loved. as he thrusted into you, he felt a tug of devotion in his chest for you. like a single angelic prayer, any prayers he had were answered when you came into his life.
beautiful, playful and so fucking dumb.
he happily paid and you gave him all the loving he wanted. all he needed. why would he look for anyone else when he could easily have you for the rest of your his days. plus, with you, he could be selfish.
"you feel like heaven, my love." he purred as he continued to move. he felt everything and it made him only hungry for more. he licked his lips before he planted more kisses on your heated skin. his angel, inside and out.
"don't flatter me."
"it's not flattery if it's true." he replied as he continued to fuck your achy cunt until you were moaning loudly. he could feel the noises echo in his body, maybe he was obsessed with you, but, hey, that was why he slipped into your bank account . the growing balance of euros every time he sank into your heavenly cut.
you moaned against the chair and held onto the edge of it tightly as he continued to batter your achy sex. fuck, it felt amazing. you exhaled deeply and your back bent a little more.
"you know i love you, i adore you more than anything. you are picture perfect." his words were hungry and left warmth pooled in your gut, "you are all mine, you don't want any other man. just me, right?" he let out a groan. his pace was quick and hit against all the right areas.
you couldn't have anyone else because fernado was selfish with your attention, with your love. he wanted you. you were pushed as far as you could go up against the chair with your lover's heavy movements. your noises were loud, but you had a fair bit of privacy so it wasn't a big deal that you were so loud.
fernando kissed your neck once more and your clutched onto the chair tightly. you panted heavily and he moved roughly. the fucking between you two was hot and you were both loud in the privacy of the yard.
"you're perfect, at my pool, in my house, you're all mine. i thought you that little bikini even the earrings you wear. all mine, just like your pretty pussy." his words excited you dearly as he worked your body under him. there were words that died on your tongue and only left you with hot moans. "you take me wonderfully." he groaned as he pushed your face against the chair as his cock bullied and possibly bruised your insides. as great as it could be.
you panted into the fabric as your cunt clenched around him. you groaned loudly into the seat as you came around his cock. he continued his rapid movements to fuck you into a lovely submission.
it only spurred fernando on, he worked you body as you were in a post orgasmic bliss. you gladly let him do whatever he wanted and with a few more heavy thrusts he finished inside of you. it was a blessing to finish inside of you that way.
he rode through his orgasm and eventually slowed to a stop. he kissed your hot skin and dragged his short nails across your hips, skin soft against his fingers, another perfect part of you. he kissed you once more before he pulled out.
"fuck." you gasped as you panted through the heavy heat.
fernando said slyly, his hands still on you, "why don't you get your bottoms back on and let's go play the pool."
you giggled, "aren't you a little old for playing?"
he gazed at your backside as you shifted under him. he grinned to himself, " i enjoy playing with you, my love." then kissed your back, "i'd do it every day if i could."
you exhaled on the chair one last time before you went to find your bottoms. fernando admired you as you were near naked in his backyard. he grasped his exposed cock for a moment and licked his lips. he wondered if you could fuck you in the green grass next." <3
Pairing: Max Verstappen x Isabelle Leclerc (Original Character)
Summary:
Max Verstappen is a World Champion. Isabelle Leclerc is invisible.
She watched her family give up everything for Charles’ career—Arthur’s karting, their father’s savings, even her childhood horse. She understood. She never asked for more.
But Max does. He notices the things no one else does, listens when no one else will, and puts her first in ways she never imagined. With him, she isn’t an afterthought—she’s a choice. And for the first time, she realizes she doesn’t have to be invisible.
Warnings and Notes:
....Do not expect particular quick updates on this, because it's a beast of a story. Also: kinda Charles bashing, but not really? You'll see.
As always big thanks to @llirawolf , who listens to me ramble
A Bar in Montecarlo:
Max had come to the bar for a quiet drink, not to get his world flipped upside down. But then he spotted her.
She was standing at the counter, waiting for her drink, all soft confidence and effortless elegance. The kind of woman who didn’t need to try to turn heads—she just did. And Max, never one to let an opportunity pass him by, slid up beside her with his most charming smirk and opened his mouth.
And because apparently, he had actually listened the last time Lando told him all about the absolutely horrible Pick-Up-Lines that he had tried with middling success…that was what came out of his mouth.
“Excuse me,” he said smoothly, “but do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?”
She turned, amused—
And Max nearly choked.
Because he knew her.
His brain scrambled for a second before his mouth caught up. “Oh, shit. You’re Charles’ little sister.”
Her entire expression changed. The amusement faded, her jaw tightening. “Wow,” she deadpanned. “That’s one way to ruin a moment.”
Max grimaced. “That’s not what I—”
She picked up her drink and turned fully toward him, raising a brow. “I do have a name, you know.”
He nodded quickly, recovering. “Right. Isabelle.”
“Good job,” she said dryly. “Want a gold star?”
Max huffed out a laugh. “Look, I just wasn’t expecting you. I see a beautiful woman at a bar, and my instinct is to flirt. Then I realize she’s my colleague’s little sister, and I panic.”
Her lips twitched. “And?”
“And… I’m still going to flirt with you,” he admitted, grinning. “But properly this time.”
She tilted her head, intrigued. “Oh?”
Max leaned in slightly. “Can I buy you a drink, Isabelle?”
She pretended to consider. “That depends. Are you going to keep calling me Charles’ little sister?”
He placed a hand over his heart. “I solemnly swear never to utter those words again.”
Her lips curled in the slightest smirk. “In that case, sure. Let’s see if you can impress me, Verstappen.”
Max had never been one to back down from a challenge. And something told him this was a challenge he’d never want to walk away from.
Max flagged down the bartender, ordering another round for both of them. Isabelle took a slow sip of her drink, watching him over the rim of her glass like she was trying to decide if he was worth her time.
He liked that. Liked that she wasn’t falling over herself just because he was Max Verstappen.
“So,” he said, leaning against the bar, “what exactly would impress you?”
She hummed, tapping a finger against her glass. “A conversation that doesn’t involve my brothers.”
Max smirked. “That easy?”
“You’d be surprised how many people fail that test.”
He could imagine. Charles was everywhere in the racing world, and by extension, so was Isabelle. It must be exhausting, always being seen as an extension of someone else.
Max took the challenge seriously. “Alright,” he said, shifting toward her. “Tell me something about you that has nothing to do with your family.”
She studied him for a moment, like she was assessing if he was genuine. Then, after a beat, she said, “I work in architecture.”
Max blinked. “Really?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Why do you sound surprised?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I never thought about what you do.”
She smirked. “That’s because you’ve only ever seen me as Charles’ little sister.”
Max winced. “Okay, fair. But I’m interested now.”
“Are you?” She tilted her head, amusement flickering in her eyes. “I have heard your name at work before.”
Max frowned. “You have?”
“Oh, yeah,” Isabelle said, taking another sip of her drink. “Apparently, you’ve been house hunting. One of my colleagues nearly had a meltdown over the idea of designing a place for Max Verstappen.”
Max narrowed his eyes. “Wait… which project?”
She bit back a smile. “A penthouse. You toured it a few weeks ago.”
Max suddenly knew exactly which one she was talking about. He had liked the place, but something had held him back from committing.
Now, though?
Now, he was very seriously considering signing the papers just for an excuse to see her again.
He leaned in, watching her reaction closely. “And if I were to, say, buy that penthouse?”
She didn’t miss a beat. “Then I’d know you had good taste.”
Max grinned. “That’s it?”
She shrugged. “That, and I’d probably have to endure my colleagues freaking out for at least a week.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Alright, then. Guess I have some decisions to make.”
Isabelle rolled her eyes, but he caught the way her lips twitched like she was fighting a smile.
Yeah. He was definitely buying that penthouse.
Max drummed his fingers against the bar, pretending to think. "Alright, so let’s say I do buy that penthouse. Hypothetically."
Isabelle gave him a knowing look. "Hypothetically."
"Would I get a personal consultation?"
She laughed, shaking her head. "That’s not how it works."
"But if I had, I don’t know, questions about the design, or maybe some concerns about the layout, I’d need someone to talk to, wouldn’t I?"
Isabelle swirled the last of her drink in her glass, watching him with an amused glint in her eyes. "Max, are you trying to say you need my number for professional reasons?"
He grinned, tilting his head. "I mean, what if I need an expert opinion? You are the only architect I know."
She sighed in mock exasperation, but he could tell she was entertained. "I really shouldn’t encourage this."
"But you want to," Max countered, smirking.
Her lips twitched, and after a moment’s pause, she reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. "Fine. Give me yours, I’ll text you."
Max typed in his number so fast that she actually laughed. She typed something in her phone.
A second later, his phone buzzed with a new message.
Unknown Number: Congratulations on your completely unbiased, definitely not suspicious real estate decision.
Max chuckled. "So, what happens if I text you about things that aren’t penthouse-related?"
Isabelle lifted her glass to her lips and said, before taking the last sip, "Guess we’ll find out."
And just like that, Max Verstappen knew he was completely screwed.
***
(Unknown Number): Hey, it’s Max.
(Unknown Number): Verstappen.
(Unknown Number): Just in case you know a lot of Maxes.
Isabelle: I don’t.
Max: Good. Would hate to have competition already.
Isabelle: Already?
Max: What can I say? I like you.
Isabelle: You barely know me.
Max: That’s true. But I’d like to change that.
Isabelle: …That was smooth.
Max: Was it?
Isabelle: Surprisingly, yes.
Max: Noted. I’ll add it to my very short list of smooth moments.
Isabelle: Very short?
Max: Tragically short.
Isabelle: I don’t know if I believe that.
Max: I promise, my sister would confirm it.
Isabelle: You have a sister?
Max: Victoria.
Isabelle: Right, I think I’ve seen her before.
Max: Probably. She’d probably like you, by the way.
Isabelle: Oh?
Max: Yeah. She has a good instinct about people.
Isabelle: And what does your instinct say?
Max: That I really, really want to see you again.
Isabelle: You’re very direct, aren’t you?
Max: Is that a bad thing?
Isabelle: No. Just… unexpected.
Max: Well, I can be subtle too.
Isabelle: Can you?
Max: Definitely. For example, I could subtly ask what you’re doing tomorrow night.
Isabelle: …Very subtle.
Max: Thank you. So?
Isabelle: I might be free.
Max: Good. Then I’ll subtly ask if you’d like to have dinner with me.
Isabelle: Are you always like this?
Max: Only when I really like someone.
Isabelle: …Dinner sounds nice.
Max: Perfect. I’ll send you the details.
Isabelle: Looking forward to it.
Max: Me too.
***
Max: I met someone.
Victoria: …Okay?
Max: And I think I’m in love.
Victoria: MAX.
Victoria: You literally just met her??
Max: Yes.
Victoria: And you think you’re in love?
Max: Yes.
Victoria: Oh my god.
Victoria: Max.
Victoria: WHAT.
Victoria: HOW.
Victoria: WHY.
Max: I don’t know, Vic. I just know. I met her tonight and I just…I just know.
Victoria: You’ve known her for one night.
Max: Yes.
Victoria: Max.
Max: Vic.
Victoria: Oh my god, you’re serious.
Max: Very.
Victoria: You’re actually gone for her already.
Max: Completely.
Victoria: …Okay.
Max: Okay?
Victoria: Yeah.
Victoria: I mean, I think you’re insane, but if anyone deserves to fall stupidly, recklessly in love, it’s you.
Max: …Thanks, Vic.
Victoria: You deserve to be loved, Max.
Victoria: For who you are. Not because you’re Max Verstappen, two-time world champion, but just because you’re you.
Max: …
Max: I think she sees me that way.
Victoria: Then hold onto her.
Max: I plan to.
Victoria: Is that why you’re texting me at midnight like a lunatic?
Max: …I may have also just bought that penthouse.
Victoria: MAX.
Victoria: YOU HAVE BEEN UNDECIDED ABOUT THAT PENTHOUSE FOR MONTHS.
Victoria: AND NOW YOU MEET A GIRL AND SUDDENLY YOU’RE BUYING IT???
Max: Her architecture firm is working on it.
Victoria: This is why people say Libras are intense.
Max: That’s astrology nonsense.
Victoria: SAYS THE MAN PLANNING A WHOLE FUTURE AFTER ONE CONVERSATION.
Max: I have a good feeling about it.
Victoria: MAX.
Max: What? You just said I deserve to be loved.
Victoria: YES, BUT I DIDN’T THINK YOU’D LOSE YOUR ENTIRE MIND OVER IT.
Max: Too late.
Victoria: Oh my god.
Victoria: You are actually the most ridiculous person alive.
Victoria: But if she makes you happy… then I’m happy for you.
Max: She does.
Victoria: Then that’s all that matters.
***
Isabelle: Emergency. Crisis. Disaster.
Emilie: That’s a lot of words. What happened?
Isabelle: I have a date.
Emilie: And that’s a disaster because…?
Isabelle: Because it’s with Max Verstappen.
Emilie: …
Emilie: I’m going to need a second.
Emilie:
Emilie:
Emilie:
Emilie: Okay, I’m back. WHAT???
Isabelle: We met at a bar. He asked me out. I said yes. And now I don’t know what to wear. Focus. Help.
Emilie: We met at a bar, he asked me out, I said yes—DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF???
Isabelle: EMILIE. FOCUS. OUTFIT.
Emilie: Right. Okay. Where is he taking you?
Isabelle: Some fancy restaurant. Not too fancy, but still expensive.
Emilie: God, of course. Okay. Simple but elegant. A dress that makes it look like you didn’t try too hard, even though you absolutely did.
Isabelle: Black dress?
Emilie: Obviously. And heels. You own some ridiculous ones. Wear those.
Isabelle: You are suspiciously good at this.
Emilie: Because I have taste. Now, more importantly—DO YOUR BROTHERS KNOW??
Isabelle: …
Emilie: Isabelle.
Isabelle: No, they do not.
Emilie: WHY NOT???
Isabelle: Because I don’t want to deal with it.
Emilie: You are dating CHARLES LECLERC’S BIGGEST RIVAL. YOU DON’T THINK THAT’S WORTH MENTIONING???
Isabelle: One date does not mean I’m dating him.
Emilie: YET.
Isabelle: I don’t think Charles would care.
Emilie: …That is the saddest sentence I have ever read.
Emilie: You don’t think Charles would care.
Isabelle: No.
Emilie: Are we talking about the same man??? The one who holds grudges against people for bad karting races from 15 years ago??
Isabelle: I am saying that I am basically invisible in my family, and therefore, he will not care.
Emilie: THAT IS SO DEPRESSING.
Isabelle: It’s just reality.
Emilie: No, it’s tragic. And when Charles inevitably does care, I am going to be so smug about it.
Isabelle: He won’t.
Emilie: He will. And when he finds out from Twitter instead of you, I am going to remind you forever that I was right.
Isabelle: Fine. If he does, I will buy you dinner.
Emilie: And?
Isabelle: And I will admit you were right.
Emilie: Good girl. But first, we need to make sure Max Verstappen is absolutely floored when he sees you tonight. Let’s pick out your dress.
***
Max: HELP.
Max: I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO WEAR.
Victoria: Oh my god.
Max: I’m serious, Vic. This is important.
Victoria: It’s one date.
Max: Exactly! First impressions matter. What if I wear something stupid?
Victoria: You wear team merch 90% of the time, so that’s a real possibility.
Max: NOT HELPING.
Victoria: Okay, okay. Where are you taking her?
Max: Nice restaurant. Fancy-ish but not too fancy.
Victoria: Alright. Dark jeans, nice shirt, jacket. Clean shoes.
Max: That’s it???
Victoria: Yes, you’re not walking a red carpet, Max.
Max: What if she thinks it’s boring?
Victoria: If she’s going out with you, she probably already knows you’re a little fashion-challenged.
Max: Wow.
Victoria: I’m just saying, if she agreed to a date, she clearly likes you. Just wear something that fits and isn’t Red Bull merch.
Max: I feel like you’re underestimating the stress of this situation.
Victoria: I feel like you’re underestimating the fact that she already said yes.
Max: …Good point.
Victoria: Obviously. Now go find a shirt that isn’t a team polo and try not to overthink it.
Max: No promises.
Victoria: You’re impossible.
Max: And yet, you still love me.
Victoria: Unfortunately. Now go. And don’t text me from the restaurant freaking out.
Max: No guarantees.
***
Emilie: Well????
Isabelle: Well, what?
Emilie: Isabelle. Do not play dumb with me. How did the date go??
Isabelle: …It was really nice.
Emilie: THAT’S ALL YOU’RE GIVING ME?
Emilie: I want DETAILS. Did he show up looking stupidly handsome? Was he nice? Did he make you laugh? Did you kiss him??
Isabelle: Yes, yes, yes, and Yes.
Emilie: YES??
Isabelle: I kissed him.
Emilie: !!!!!
Emilie: Details. Now.
Isabelle: It was after our date. He walked me to my door, and I just… kissed him.
Emilie: You just kissed him?? Who are you and what have you done with my overthinking best friend??
Isabelle: Shut up. I didn’t even think about it. I just did it.
Emilie: And???
Isabelle: And then he kissed me back.
Emilie: …That better not be the end of the story.
Isabelle: It was soft. And slow. And he cupped my face like I was something precious.
Emilie: Isabelle.
Emilie: Isabelle, my love. My dearest best friend.
Emilie: You’re done for.
Isabelle: … I know.
Emilie: And how did he look after?
Isabelle: Like he was trying very hard not to kiss me again.
Emilie: Oh, you’re so doomed.
Isabelle: I know.
Emilie: Tell me everything.
Isabelle: He was already at the restaurant when I got there, which was sweet. He pulled out my chair for me. He was nervous, which was insane to me because, you know, he’s Max Verstappen.
Emilie: Boy has driven through Eau Rouge at full speed, but a girl makes him nervous. I love this.
Isabelle: He kept looking at me like I was the most interesting person in the world. Like he actually wanted to hear everything I had to say.
Emilie: I love him already.
Isabelle: You love him?? Emilie, I might actually be in trouble here.
Emilie: Uh oh.
Isabelle: …He sent me flowers.
Emilie: WHAT.
Emilie: When???
Isabelle: They just got delivered.
Emilie: EXCUSE ME.
Emilie: You go on ONE date with Max Verstappen and wake up to FLOWERS???
Isabelle: Apparently.
Emilie: What kind?
Isabelle: Peonies.
Emilie: Belle.
Emilie: He is so in love with you.
Isabelle: It was one date.
Emilie: AND???
Emilie: The man sent you flowers the morning after like he’s starring in a romance novel.
Isabelle: Maybe he just does that?
Emilie: Girl. Be serious.
Emilie: Did he say anything with them?
Isabelle: There was a note.
Emilie: AND???
Isabelle: It just says ‘Last night was perfect. Can’t wait to see you again. – Max’
Emilie: I’M GONNA SCREAM.
Emilie: Max Verstappen is courting you.
Isabelle: Courting is a strong word.
Emilie: He sent you flowers. He is so gone for you.
Isabelle: …Maybe.
Emilie: So… second date?
Isabelle: Saturday.
Emilie: GIRL.
Isabelle: I know.
***
Comments:
@/emilie_abadie: 👀👀👀
@/F1GossipQueen: That’s a very ‘I have a thoughtful boyfriend’ kind of flower arrangement.
↳@/paddockprincessx: Soft launch era????
@/leclercsiblingtea: If Charles doesn’t know who sent these, I need his live reaction immediately.
↳@/monacogossip: Why do I feel like this is someone wildly unexpected?
↳@/redbullsimpclub: Place your bets now, I’m saying it’s a paddock guy.
↳@/f1shenanigans: If this is from an F1 driver, I am losing my mind.
***
Isabelle: Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.
Isabelle: And for yesterday. I had a really nice time.
Max: I’m glad you liked them.
Max: What’s your favorite flower? For next time.
Isabelle: Snowdrops.
Max: Snowdrops?
Isabelle: Yes?
Max: I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone whose favorite flower is snowdrops.
Isabelle: That’s a shame. They’re beautiful. And they bloom in the cold, when nothing else does.
Max : Like you, then.
Isabelle: …Are you trying to be charming, Max Verstappen?
Max: Is it working?
Isabelle: Maybe.
Max: Good.
***
Sophie: So… Victoria told me something interesting.
Max: She needs a new hobby.
Sophie: Max.
Max: What?
Sophie: Are you in love?
Max: …Maybe.
Sophie: After one conversation?
Max: No! After two conversations.
Sophie: Oh, well, that’s much more reasonable.
Max: Mom.
Sophie: Max.
Max: Look, I just know that it’s different. I’ve never felt like this before.
Sophie: That’s a big thing to say.
Max: I know. But I can’t explain it. It just makes sense.
Sophie: So how did the date go?
Max: …It was perfect.
Sophie: Now we’re getting somewhere.
Max: She’s funny, she’s smart, she actually listens when I talk about racing—like, really listens. And she doesn’t care about the other stuff. The money, the fame. None of it. She just likes me.
Sophie: That’s important.
Max: I know.
Sophie: So when do I get to meet her?
Max: When she doesn’t think I’m a crazy person for how fast I’m falling for her.
Sophie: I hate to break it to you, Max, but you bought a penthouse because her firm is working on it.
Max: …
Sophie: That’s what I thought.
Max: It’s a very nice penthouse.
Sophie: Of course it is.
Max: So you’re not going to say I’m insane?
Sophie: Oh, you are insane. But you’re also my son. And if this makes you happy, then I’m happy for you.
Max: Thanks, Mom.
Sophie: Now tell me, do I need to start planning a wedding?
Max: Goodbye.
***
(Members: Arthur, Isabelle, Charles, Lorenzo and Pascale)
Arthur: Dinner at Maman’s, Saturday, usual time?
Charles: Yeah, I’ll be there.
Lorenzo: Me too.
Isabelle: I can’t make it, I’m busy.
Arthur: What’s Maman making?
Charles: Probably something with pasta.
Lorenzo: Didn’t she say something about lamb last time?
Arthur: Oh yeah, I think so.
Isabelle: Have fun!
Charles: See you all Saturday.
***
Max: Hey, if I were to ask for date advice, purely hypothetically…
Victoria: Oh my God.
Max: What?
Victoria: You NEVER ask for advice. This must be serious.
Max: It’s not that serious.
Victoria: You literally bought an apartment because of this girl.
Max: …That’s unrelated.
Victoria: Sure it is.
Max: So… hypothetically… if I needed some guidance, what would you suggest?
Victoria: Are you actually asking for advice, or are you just hoping I’ll make it easier for you by giving you a list of things not to do?
Max: ...
Victoria: That’s what I thought. Give me a second.
Victoria: Okay, here’s your DO NOT list:
Do not talk about tire degradation.
Do not mention iRacing, no matter how good your last stint was.
Do not wear a Red Bull hoodie.
Do not check F1 news during the date.
Do not turn the date into a competition.
Do not text me mid-date if you panic. Figure it out.
Do not propose.
Max: …That last one was unnecessary.
Victoria: I’m just covering all bases.
Max: I wasn’t going to propose.
Victoria: Good. Then this should be easy for you.
Max: The Red Bull hoodie rule feels unfair.
Victoria: Max.
Max: Fine. No Red Bull hoodie.
Victoria: Thank you.
Max: …Can I at least wear the cap?
Victoria: Max.
Max: Alright, alright. No cap.
Victoria: Proud of you. Now, go be normal.
Max: No promises.
***
Max: Hypothetically. If you were taking someone on a second date. What would you do?
GP: …Why are you asking me?
Max: Because you’re married!
GP: And?
Max: That means you’ve successfully dated someone.
GP: That does not make me a dating expert.
GP: Also, since when do you ask me for relationship advice?
GP: Who is she?
Max: …
GP: Max.
Max:
GP: MAX.
GP: WHO IS IT.
Max: Isabelle.
GP: Isabelle who?
Max: …Leclerc.
GP:
GP: MAX.
GP: CHARLES LECLERC’S SISTER?!?!?!?!?
Max: Yeah, she doesn’t really like being called that.
GP: MAX.
GP: DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?
Max: Not particularly.
GP: HOW DID THIS HAPPEN.
Max: I met her.
GP: OBVIOUSLY.
GP: Where?! When?! How long has this been going on?!
Max: A few days.
GP: And Charles doesn’t know???
Max: I don’t think he notices much about her.
GP: Okay, that’s a whole other issue, but back to you.
GP: Do you have any self-preservation instincts?
Max: She’s nice. I like her.
GP: THAT IS NOT THE POINT.
GP: Do you realize the incident this could cause?
Max: If I wanted overreactions, I’d have texted Victoria.
GP: I AM REACTING APPROPRIATELY.
GP: What does Victoria think?
Max: She said, "You deserve to be loved."
GP: …Well, that’s suspiciously sentimental.
GP: But also, Charles is still going to kill you.
Max: You’re being dramatic.
GP: AM I?
Max: Are you helping or not?
GP: I AM TOO BUSY PROCESSING YOUR TERRIBLE LIFE CHOICES.
GP: Okay. Okay. Deep breaths. Let’s focus.
GP: You need a second date idea.
GP: That does not result in Charles Leclerc murdering you.
Max: I think you’re overestimating how much he pays attention to her.
GP: That’s between them. I am concerned for you.
Max: You’re being dramatic again.
GP: No, I’m being realistic.
Max: …I’ll deal with that when it happens.
GP: Unbelievable.
GP: Alright. Date ideas.
GP: What did you do for the first one?
Max: Dinner. Talked a lot.
GP: What does she like?
Max: Horses.
GP: Horses.
GP: You’re dating someone who likes horses.
Max: Yes?
GP: I feel like that’s relevant information I should’ve had sooner.
GP: Have you ever been near a horse, Max?
Max: Not really.
GP: Okay, no horse-related dates yet. You will get yourself killed trying to impress her.
Max: She’d find that funny.
GP: I wouldn’t.
GP: Let’s keep it simple. Somewhere quiet. Private. Where you can talk.
Max: I was thinking that too.
GP: What about a picnic?
Max: A picnic.
GP: Yeah. You get some good food, go somewhere nice, and just relax. No stress.
Max: Where am I supposed to find a picnic spot?
GP: You have a balcony, Max.
GP: You literally have a balcony with a view.
GP: Just set something up there.
Max: …That’s actually not a bad idea.
GP: Wow. Praise from the great Max Verstappen. I’m honored.
Max: Don’t get used to it.
GP: Okay, what kind of food does she like?
Max: She ordered pasta on our first date.
GP: That’s a start. You could order from the same place.
Max: Or I could cook.
GP: You could what?
Max: I can cook, GP.
GP: Since when?
Max: Since I lived alone?
GP: Okay, sure. But can you cook something that won’t poison her?
Max: Wow. Faith in me is at an all-time low.
GP: Just making sure she survives the night.
Max: I’ll make pasta. It’s simple.
GP: Fine. But don’t experiment. Stick to what you know.
Max: What do you think I’m going to do? Try molecular gastronomy?
GP: I wouldn’t put it past you.
GP: Okay, what else… You need drinks. Dessert.
Max: She likes red wine.
GP: Get a good wine, then. And dessert?
Max: She mentioned liking raspberries once.
GP: So get her something with raspberries.
Max: Got it.
GP: And what about ambiance?
Max: …
GP: Max.
Max: What?
GP: Do you even own candles?
Max: …Victoria gave me some once.
GP: Use them.
GP: And put some effort into setting the table.
GP: You know, for someone who acts like they don’t care about romance, you’re actually putting effort into this.
Max: …She’s worth the effort.
GP:
GP: Damn.
GP: Okay.
GP: You have to survive Charles finding out.
Max: I told you. I’ll handle it.
GP: Yeah, yeah. Just keep me updated.
Max: Sure.
GP: And if you need actual advice, ask Victoria.
Max: I did ask Victoria. She just sent me a list of things not to do.
GP: What was on the list?
Max: "Don’t talk about tire degradation. Don’t mention iRacing. Don’t wear a Red Bull hoodie."
GP: Solid advice.
Max: She also said, "Act normal."
GP: That one might be harder for you.
Max: Wow.
GP: Just being honest.
GP: So, do you have everything planned?
Max: Yeah. I think so.
GP: Good. Now all you have to do is not mess it up.
Max: Thanks for the vote of confidence.
GP: Any time.
***
Emilie: Soooooo... how was the date?
Isabelle: Good.
Emilie: …That’s it? "Good"? You had dinner with Max Verstappen, a man who has clearly lost his mind over you, and all you have to say is "good"???
Isabelle: Fine. Great. Amazing.
Isabelle: Happy?
Emilie: Better. But I’m gonna need DETAILS.
Isabelle: We had dinner, talked a lot, and then I stayed over.
Emilie:
Emilie: EXCUSE ME???
Emilie: YOU STAYED OVER????
Isabelle: Yes.
Emilie: As in "I fell asleep on the couch watching a movie and went home in the morning" stayed over, or "I am now intimately familiar with Max Verstappen's bedsheets" stayed over???
Isabelle: …
Emilie: ISABELLE.
Isabelle: Nothing happened.
Emilie: Oh my god.
Emilie: OH MY GOD.
Isabelle: I swear, nothing happened. It just got late and…
Emilie: This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
Isabelle: I’m so glad MY love life is giving you entertainment.
Emilie: You don’t understand. I’ve been waiting for you to have an actual romance for YEARS. YEARS, ISABELLE.
Isabelle: You make it sound like I was living in a cave.
Emilie: Emotionally? Maybe a little.
Isabelle: Rude.
Emilie: True.
Emilie: But seriously. How do you feel?
Isabelle: …I don’t know. It’s weird.
Isabelle: He likes me. Like, really likes me. And I’m not used to that.
Emilie: Then get used to it, babe. Because that man? He’s already gone for you.
Isabelle: You think so?
Emilie: I KNOW so.
Emilie: Now tell me: does he have nice bedsheets, or do I need to stage an intervention?
***
GP: Well???
Max: Well, what?
GP: Don’t play dumb. How did it go?
Max: …
GP: MAX.
Max: It went well.
GP: That’s it? That’s all I get after coaching you through this?
Max: What do you want me to say?
GP: I want details. Did she like the food? Did you talk about tire degradation anyway? Did she laugh about your terrible jokes?
Max: She liked the food. No, I did not mention tire degradation. Rude.
GP: Growth. I’m proud of you.
Max: Thanks.
Max: The cats love her.
GP: …THE CATS?! MAX. That is NOT the update I was looking for.
Max: No, but it’s important. They don’t just like people.
GP: I was expecting romance, maybe a ‘we stayed up talking all night’ or ‘she laughed at all my jokes’—and you’re giving me ‘the cats love her’??!
Max: It means a lot! Jimmy and Sassy were literally fighting for her attention. She was just sitting on the couch, and they both climbed into her lap like she was their owner.
GP: …Okay, I’ll admit, that’s kind of a big deal. You’re in love, aren’t you?
Max: I mean… yeah.
GP: I knew it. The cats knew it. Everyone knew it. Charles is gonna lose his mind.
Max: That’s a problem for future Max.
***
Lando Norris x Reader
Summary: Lando Norris embraced his now-public relationship as a chance to openly and unapologetically adore his girlfriend. Fans saw it as a win—though it came at the cost of Max F constantly getting roped into their antics.
Words: 4.8k
Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex, suggestive dialogue
Protect Max
Fans were absolutely loving how Y/N had become a bigger part of Max’s streams. They got to see a side of her they’d never caught on social media and beyond the glimpses from the paddock with Lando.
It was just another day of chatting and gaming for the two during a break between races, the pair sat in an ever familiar room in Lando's place in Monaco, but with him absent as Max had mentioned he went out for training.
"We just agreed on not using grenades you cheat! Lando's rubbing off on you way too much. I don't like it" Max exclaims as his character on Counterstrike once again, gets killed by Y/N less than a minute into the round.
"Oh go cry about it Max, just admit I'm better than you" Y/N smirks as she grabs her water bottle to take a sip
"You cheated! I got absolutely knocked by that"
"Fine! You big baby, no grenades this time, promise" Y/N groans as they start another round
"they're so sibling coded" "not bob getting dethroned from being Max's gaming partner" "she's so gonna beat Max again this round"
“Okay, chat, no need to rub salt in the wound—by the way, I was the one who taught you how to play, you should be grateful—shit!”
Max was mid-sentence when Y/N sniped him, knocking him out of the game and securing yet another win—this time, fair and square.
“The student becomes the master,” she smirked, leaning back in her chair, clearly enjoying the moment.
"What's going on here?" the mic picks up Lando's voice before he even enters the frame.
"I'm absolutely dominating on counterstrike—did you just get back?" A playful smile spreads across Y/N's face as Lando walks into the room, standing behind her chair and gently massaging her shoulders.
"I've already showered and everything. Been here the past 30 minutes, you two were too busy bickering—I could hear you all the way down the hall," Lando chuckles, looking down at her with a cheeky grin.
He leans in, but Y/N quickly shifts away, avoiding the kiss.
"You're avoiding my kisses now?" Lando teases, his mouth hanging open in mock surprise.
"The stream, Lan..." Y/N mutters, a little pout on her lips, making Lando laugh softly.
"Alright baby, for our eyes only, yeah?" Lando smirks, leaning back down while reaching for the camera, his hand covering it just in time to hide their kiss.
"Hello?! My eyes! My eyes! What about Max’s eyes?!" Max's shout makes the two burst into laughter as Lando pulls his hand away, revealing Max’s face, twisted in utter disgust.
"lol poor max" "bet he misses P a lil extra today" "i think im going to cardiac arrest they're so cute"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Snitches get stiches
The night before testing in Bahrain, Lando hopped onto Max’s stream for a few rounds, confident as ever. After absolutely schooling Max, he decided it was time to call it a night, shutting down his setup and stepping away.
What he didn’t step away from, however, was the chat.
Curled up in bed, phone in hand, Lando lurked—dropping smug messages every few minutes. No matter how much Max tried to ignore him, chat was loving it, egging Lando on as he tormented his friend from the shadows.
" 'Just take the L—' Mate, I did take the L. You’re the one still lurking in chat," Max laughed, shaking his head as yet another message from Lando popped up. "You have testing tomorrow, by the way."
Then, a new message appeared.
"Ed said he let you win this morning."
Max smirked, grabbing his phone. Without a word, he held up a finger to the camera and pressed dial. The stream went quiet as he waited. After a few rings, a familiar voice came through the speaker.
"Hey, Y/N, you alright? Sorry if I woke you. You’re in Bahrain with Lando, yeah?" Max finally said, his grin growing wider at the thought of absolutely snitching on his best friend.
"Hey, Maxie. No you're good, just in the other room catching up on work. Lando went to bed about an hour ago. Everything okay? Do I need to wake him up?" Y/N sounded concerned.
"Yeah, 'bout that... he’s wide awake, actually—just finished streaming golf with me. Wouldn’t leave my chat."
The pause on the other end was almost too satisfying. Max leaned back, waiting patiently, his smirk never fading. The sound of rustling and soft footsteps had him turning up the volume, bringing his phone closer to the mic. He even covered his mouth, stifling his laughter, determined to catch this golden moment in all its glory.
"bro is cooked" "oh no she's mad" "not max snitching on lando AGAIN"
"You’ve got testing tomorrow, Lan." "Fucking snitch, Max! Grow up!" Lando’s voice barely made it through, muffled. "You said you were going to bed an hour ago," Y/N said, clearly not amused. "Baby, I am in bed," Lando mumbled, his tone defensive. "You were just playing with Max—" "—For one round, my love. I’m in bed now, aren’t I?" "Don’t play me, Norris. Go to sleep, or I’m taking your phone away." “How am I supposed to sleep without you next to me, huh?” Lando’s voice was full of fake desperation, stretching the words out like he was pleading for a lifeline.
“Right, well, now I’m about to throw up,” Max interrupted, cutting through the conversation with his dry humour.
"Fewtrell, you knew better. shouldn't have entertained him when he asked you to play." "yeah that's right! you get him baby" "Didn't I say go to sleep? I'm telling Jon about this tomorrow" "This isn't over Max!" Lando manages to shout before the line cuts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Taking her back
Lando, Max, and Y/N had been best friends long before Lando and Y/N started dating, and though Lando loved how well his girlfriend and best mate got along, there were times when his jealousy got the best of him.
"Baby, come on. You've been playing with Max forever!" Lando whined, his voice dripping with playful frustration. Both Y/N and Max paused their game, turning to see Lando dramatically sprawled out in the chair behind them, looking all sorts of pouty.
"Lan, you’ve been glued to your phone for the past two hours," Y/N teased with a laugh. "We’ve asked you to join us, like, a million times"
"That’s different!" Lando huffed. "I need you. Did you not miss me? It’s the first time we’ve seen each other in a week!" He gave them a puppy-dog look, and Y/N couldn’t help but smile at his adorable pout.
"A week’s not that long, mate," Max teased, unable to resist poking fun.
"Shut up, you dickhead. I wasn’t talking to you," Lando snapped back, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "You're only saying that because P’s been with you the whole time."
"Y/N is literally 6 feet away from you—" Max shot back, raising an eyebrow.
"—Yeah? And you’re about 6 feet away from getting punched," Lando retorted, his playful threat making everyone laugh.
"You’re so easy to wind up," Max said, shaking his head in amusement, clearly enjoying Lando's reaction.
"Very mature, you two," Y/N spoke up, watching the back-and-forth between Lando and Max with an amused smile.
"Baby, please, can we kick Max out? I need some me and you time," Lando groaned, rolling his chair closer to Y/N, his eyes full of exaggerated desperation.
"Lando, chat asked her to join my stream today," Max protested, raising an eyebrow. "You’re really gonna steal her away from them?"
"They’re stealing her away from me right now," Lando shot back, narrowing his eyes playfully at the camera.
"Alright, you big baby, one more round, then we'll leave Max alone," Y/N chuckled, turning to face Lando and gently running her hand through his hair.
"No. Now," Lando pouted, shamelessly showing just how needy he was, making Y/N laugh as she gave him a soft, teasing look.
"I'm about this close to bleaching my eyes and ears, mate," Max teased, smirking at the chaos unfolding.
"I'm about this close to kicking you out of my flat—" Lando leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at Max.
"—OKAY. Chat, my kids are throwing tantrums now, I think it’s time for me to go," Y/N sighed in defeat, sitting up straight with a playful roll of her eyes. "You two are impossible." She gave both of them an exasperated but affectionate look, knowing she’d have to be the voice of reason.
"boooo! not bob stealing y/n from us" "NOOO don't leave Y/N" "LN being selfish lol" "hes neeeedy"
Max let out a laugh as he read through the chat, clearly enjoying the chaos. "They're booing you, mate—yeah, chat! That's right! He’s stealing Y/N from us!" Max egged them on, his voice full of mischief.
Just as Y/N stood up from her seat, ready to leave, Lando grabbed her arm, pulling her back down onto his lap. He held her firmly by the waist, giving her a quick kiss.
Y/N gently shoved him, standing up again with a soft laugh, trying to hide the flustered look that had crept onto her face from his sudden move. Lando, now sporting a proud smirk, looked straight at the camera. "Gotta take my girl back now, chat," he said with a playful wink. "We’ll see you guys next time."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Look at my girl
"Did you get the code? I sent it to you on WhatsApp," Lando said, setting his phone down and turning his attention back to his screen as he finished setting up the game.
"Yep, got it. We're using in-game mics, yeah?" Max replied, joining the lobby.
Before Lando could answer, a soft knock echoed through the room. He instinctively pulled off one side of his headphones, swiveling his chair to find Y/N standing by the door.
"I'm heading out now, bub" her voice carried through the mic, chat flooded with messages about how soft Lando’s gaze had just turned.
"Look at you all dressed up—where are you headed, my pretty girl?" Lando smirked, leaning back in his chair, eyes shamelessly trailing over his girlfriend.
A blush crept up Y/N’s cheeks as she shifted on her feet, slightly embarrassed by her boyfriend’s proud declaration. "I’m having lunch with Alex today, remember?"
"You look beautiful, my love," Lando murmured, his grin widening before turning back to his stream. "Chat, doesn’t Y/N look absolutely stunning?"
"Maate, start the bloody game!" Max groaned, dragging out the words in frustration.
Y/N chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Alright, Lan, I gotta go—they're arriving soon."
"Alex is picking you up?" Lando asked, tilting his head as he kept his eyes on her.
Y/N nodded. "Charles offered to drop us off at the restaurant. I'll bring you home food, and I’ll send you the menu when I get there."
Lando’s expression softened. "Have fun, my love. Text me if you need anything."
"Got it. Bye, chat—" Y/N smiled, giving a small wave as she stepped out the door.
"—What?! Hey, hey, no! Come back—baby, my kiss!" Lando whined, nearly pushing himself out of his seat, watching her leave with a dramatic pout.
She let out a playful groan but stepped back into the room, making her way toward Lando.
"Look at her, everyone—stunning," Lando grinned, taking her hand in his. "Alright, bye, gorgeous. Have a great time."
Y/N smirked, holding her hand up to the camera—mimicking the way Lando had covered it on a previous stream—before leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips.
"Thanks for that, Y/N, really appreciate the modesty," Max's voice rang through Lando's headphones, dripping with sarcasm. "Hope you do that to my eyes next time, yeah?"
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Don't look at my girl
Lando had been on Twitch for a good hour now, casually playing UNO with Max and a few other friends on who were on Discord. It was all easygoing banter, a way to kill time before diving into a more intense Tarkov session.
Y/N walked in not too long after, carefully balancing plates of food in her hands. Without looking up from his screen, Lando muttered a quick, “Thanks, love,” too focused on his cards to even glance her way.
It wasn’t until the chat suddenly exploded with rapid messages that his attention flickered toward the comments. His brows furrowed, eyes scanning the screen.
"hi Y/N" "okay hot mama!" "Y/N you look stunning babe" "can Lando fight?"
“‘Can Lando fight’—chat, what the fuck?” he scoffed, finally turning his head toward his girlfriend.
And then he saw it.
The slightly cropped, low-necklined tank top hugging her in all the right places, a sight he was very much happy to see, just not so happy to share with the rest of the world.
His reaction was instant. “Baby… where’s the rest of your shirt?” Lando whined, reaching out to tug at the hem of her top as if he could magically make it longer.
Y/N only laughed, swatting his hands away. “It’s literally just a tank top, Lando.”
“Yeah, and apparently, it’s starting fights in my chat.” He shot a glare at the screen before narrowing his eyes at her playfully.
As Y/N stood up, completely unaware of the way the camera was angled, she leaned forward slightly to grab something from behind the monitor.
Lando, ever vigilant with his quick reflexes, moved faster than ever, one hand darting out to cover her chest while the other reached for the mouse, ready to slam the stream off if necessary.
“Woah, woah—baby! Careful, please,” he blurted out, eyes wide as he practically shielded her from the world.
Connor’s laughter echoed through the call. “LN’s about to have a heart attack, mate.”
Y/N, finally realizing what had just happened, let out a soft laugh as she sat back down, napkins now in hand. “I was just grabbing these, bub. Calm down.”
Lando let out a dramatic sigh, clutching his chest like he’d just lived through a near-death experience. “Baby, please, I’m begging—could you put on a hoodie or something?” His voice was almost desperate, eyes flicking between her and the chat that was going absolutely feral.
Y/N raised a brow, arms crossing over her chest. “You’re overreacting.”
“Yeah, well, they’re not getting a free show,” Lando huffed, shooting a glare at the screen before rolling his eyes. With one last grumble, he finally turned his attention back to his game, picking up his fork to dig into dinner—all while side-eyeing the chat every few seconds.
Meanwhile, Max was wheezing through his mic. “I swear you just aged five years.”
Connor chuckled. “Bro’s fighting battles no one else can see.”
"still cant believe he was able to pull her" "Y/N leave him be with me" "she looks unreal" "lando better know how to fight"
Lando didn’t say a word, just stood up abruptly and rushed out of the room, leaving his friends confused as his turn in UNO was about to run out.
“Where’s he gone now?” Max muttered, clicking onto Lando’s stream, only to see Y/N sitting there, casually eating and playing in his place.
She simply shrugged, unfazed, taking Lando’s turn for him as she popped another bite of food into her mouth. A few seconds later, Lando reappeared, arms full, determination set on his face.
“Pick.”
“Huh?” Y/N blinked up at him, mid-chew.
“Pick one. Shirt, hoodie, or blanket?” He stood in front of her, dead serious, holding up the options like this was a life-or-death decision.
Y/N let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Baby, pick.” Lando repeated, unwavering.
“Lan, it’s really not that—”
Before she could even finish, he had already tossed the clothes onto the floor and made the executive decision himself, unfolding the blanket and draping it over her shoulders. “Right, blanket it is.”
Y/N sat there, wrapped up like a burrito, staring at him in amused disbelief.
Max was howling through the mic. “Mate, she’s looks like she's about to go to bed”
Lando glanced over at her, a proud grin spreading across his face as he admired his work. “There. Better,” he said, his tone smug but warm, clearly pleased with himself for making sure she was all cozy and covered up.
Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at how serious he was about it, “You’re ridiculous, you know that?” she teased, tugging the blanket a little lower, enough to free her hands.
“I’m just making sure you’re comfy,” he replied, his grin only widening. “Don’t want you catching a chill, do I?”
She shook her head, playfully rolling her eyes, but the smile she gave him was all warmth. “You’re something else, Lan.”
Lando only winked, clearly pleased with his efforts. “I try.”
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Rumour has it
It had only been a couple of weeks since Lando and Y/N had last been seen together in public, but the internet had exploded. Breakup rumors, theories about a fallout, and even claims of a “divorce era” started circulating among fans. Of course, Lando and Y/N found it all utterly ridiculous. But why not have a bit of fun with it?
Tonight, Max was streaming, and Lando was, as usual, by his side. The chat was absolutely flooded with questions and speculations, with fans wondering where Y/N had gone, why they hadn’t seen them together lately, and if they were still a couple. Usually, they wouldn't entertain it, but Lando couldn’t help but grin at the chaos as Max glanced at him, his face filled with mischief.
“Mate, you’ve been dodging questions for weeks now. People are asking if you and Y/N are okay. What's going on? Is it true? Are you in the ‘divorce era’ now?” Max teased, his voice full of drama.
Lando leaned back in his chair, groaning. “Oh don't even say her name around me. We're happily separated,” he said with exaggerated seriousness. He watched as the chat went wild, fans speculating whether he was joking or not.
"this is NOT funny im fighting for my life over here" "i honestly cant tell if hes serious pls" "stop asking ab their personal lives guys" "theyre clearly fine, look at him" "oh theyre fine lol"
Max laughed, clearly enjoying it. “Heard it here first chat, there you go”
Lando shrugged dramatically. “Sometimes, I still hear her voice"
Before Max could respond, the door behind Lando opened. Y/N walked in casually, wearing one of Lando’s hoodies, hair up in a messy bun. She stopped when she saw the camera, raising an eyebrow at Lando’s ridiculous grin.
“Hey, guys,” she said, giving the camera a casual wave.
"See! it's like she's still here” Lando pretends to wipe a tear
Max burst into laughter, while Y/N, confused as ever, attempts to read the chat. "Why are you guys talking about me like I've died?"
Lando looked at her with all seriousness. “Baby please. We're broken up remember, gosh keep up will 'ya"
Y/N nods, the expression on her face immediately switching from confused to locked in. "Oh— guys, being in this room right now pains me. I can't even look at him"
Max, lounging back in his chair with a smirk, couldn't help but shake his head. "You two were definitely eating up this breakup rumour stuff, huh?"
Lando and Y/N couldn't help but break, letting out small laughs at the comment. “Oh fuck yeah, we’ve been lying in bed, giggling like idiots, reading threads and watching tiktoks about it,” Lando said, acting like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“We purposely stopped liking each other’s posts and hid from the public" Y/N grinned, “And had so much fun doing it,” she added, sticking her tongue out at the camera.
Max threw his hands up. “You lot deserve an Oscar for this shit”
Lando, still grinning, nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, mate, you’re telling me— I had Carlos knocking at my hotel room at three in the fucking morning after reading some random breakup article online.”
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Not so subtle
It was well past 1 AM, but Lando was still wide awake, glued to his Twitch stream, deep into another round of Tarkov with his friends. The chat was slowly saying their goodnights, viewers logging off one by one—but Lando? He and the guys were more awake than ever, already planning a few more rounds like the night had just begun.
Y/N was not one to stop Lando from enjoying his alone time, but it was getting late. She had just finished yet another episode of her go-to comfort show—but sleep still hadn’t come. With a glance at the clock and a sigh, she finally got up, padding toward the other room. Maybe she could convince Lando to get some rest… or at least come fill the cold, empty space beside her.
“Baby… it’s late, come to bed.”
Y/N’s soft voice barely stood a chance against Lando’s, drowned out by his rapid-fire strategy talk and the sharp bursts of gunfire from his game. He didn’t even flinch, too locked in, too focused.
It wasn’t until she stepped closer, bathed in the soft glow of his monitors, that the chat began to stir, messages flooding in at the sight of her. Only then did Lando pull off one side of his headset, glancing up at her with a lazy smile.
“Hi, gorgeous. Thought you were asleep already,” he murmured, seamlessly giving out directions to his teammates in the same breath.
“Couldn’t sleep… You should come to bed now. It’s late.”
“I know, baby. Just give me ten minutes, alright?”
“Bedtime for little Lando?” Connor teased, earning a chuckle from Max and an eye roll from Lando.
“Shut up, Connor."
Instead of leaving, Y/N plopped down in the free chair beside him, mindlessly scrolling through her phone. She barely noticed how time slipped by—until she glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed since Lando promised he’d be done.
“Lan, it’s been 15.”
“10 more minutes, baby. Just a little longer,” he mumbled, eyes still glued to the screen.
"he's so stubborn lol" "poor y/n" "listen to ur gf pls lando, im sleepy but i have fomo"
Another 15 minutes passed, and Y/N, now visibly annoyed, let out a sigh. “Lando.” No pet name. Just his name. Max chuckled on the other end.
“Mate, I’d log off now if I were you. Y/N is scary when she’s tired and cranky.”
Lando glanced over, taking in her tired expression. “Baby, go to bed, you look exhausted… I’ll be there soon, okay? C’mere, gimme a kiss.”
Smooth. A clear attempt to buy himself a little more time.
Y/N gave him a blank stare, then simply nodded before standing up. No protest, no further attempts to drag him to bed. Instead, she turned to the stream with a small smile.
“Okay… goodnight, guys. Have fun playing with Lan. Goodnight, baby.”
Lando blinked, a little surprised that his plan actually worked. He grinned up at her, feeling triumphant, until she leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, her lips barely brushing his ear as she whispered.
“I was gonna let you have me any way you wanted tonight… your loss.”
His smirk vanished instantly, his head following Y/N's trail, now exiting the room.
"WHAT DID SHE SAY OMG" "look at his face she definitely said something" "bro is cooked lmao" "lando fumbled baaad"
Beyond distracted by what his girlfriend just whispered in his ear, he misses an opponent causing Max to get killed in game earning a battering of complaints
"Gotta log off now guys, goodnight" Lando, without saying a proper goodbye, had managed turn everything off, leaving both the game and his stream in record breaking time.
Max, watching Lando vanish without a word, quickly put the pieces together as the chat exploded with teasing. Realizing he could save his friend from some serious trouble, Max cleared his throat and leaned into the microphone.
“Bet she’s got him in trouble now. He’s probably getting an earful for keeping her waiting.” Max grinned, adding, “Man’s gonna need a serious apology when he gets off. You know how it is—no escaping when she’s upset.”
Even the chat could pick-up how he's working extra hard to save the his best friends from a PR nightmare.
"Max working extra hard tonight" "LN and Y/N got Max sweating bullets lol his face" "Max being the bigger man, respect" "Theyre bout to hear an earful from max too after this"
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Shameless
Chat was going wild. It was a random Friday night, no announcements, yet, somehow, Lando had appeared with his own stream. Even Max, mid-game, was caught off guard when the messages started rolling in, asking him to play with Lando.
Lando, sitting in his chair, still looked like he had just stepped out of the shower, his hair damp, he wore a matching grey sweatsuit and hoodie.
“What’s going on, mate? You’re back early. Thought you two were out for dinner?” Max’s unmistakable voice crackled through the speakers as he joined the group Discord, clearly catching onto the sudden shift in the vibe.
“Aye chat, Max is here! Yeah, mate, we were, but got back home and decided to hop on,” Lando cheered, clearly stoked to hear his friend's voice.
“Loving the enthusiasm, man. You seem happy tonight. You up for some golf?” Max chuckled, amused by the energy radiating off Lando.
“We can play whatever you want, Max. Feeling really lucky tonight,” Lando replied, a grin spreading across his face.
Max raised an eyebrow, eyeing him with a teasing smirk. “You’re worrying me a bit, mate. You sick or somethin’? Bit too happy for my liking.”
Lando just kept dancing and singing along to his music, looking even more upbeat, and Max couldn't help but laugh. “Alright, what’s going on with you, seriously?”
It was as if the universe had perfectly timed it—Y/N walked into the room, completely unaware that her boyfriend had already started his stream. She was wearing nothing but the white long-sleeved button-up shirt he had worn during their date earlier that night, the one fans had captured in photos. Her hair was slightly messy, giving her a carefree, just-rolled-out-of-bed look as she casually walked in.
"Lan, did you see my cleanser by any chance? It’s not in the bathroom." Y/N stood just by the door, just enough to be in frame of Lando’s camera.
As soon as she appeared, the chat went wild, and Max couldn’t help but laugh, not even attempting to rescue them this time. “Hey Y/N, my chat's saying Lando’s shirt looks better on you than it did on him.”
Y/N froze for a few seconds, her face turning bright red before she quickly dashed out of the room, her voice still audible through the mic as she shouted, “Lando Norris, you little shit!”
Lando, in too good of a mood to keep it together, couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, chat, calm down—we’re all adults here.” He leaned back in his chair, a grin spreading across his face as he wiped away a few tears of laughter.
After a beat, he stood up, still chuckling to himself. “I’ll be back in a minute, guys.”
He left the room, probably heading off to help Y/N find her cleanser, maybe even consoling her after the little reveal. The chat was buzzing with teasing comments, but it was clear Lando wasn’t too worried—he’d be back soon, and the situation was already too funny to be mad about.
"post sex stream is insaaane" "man was glowing, no wonder" "PR team fighting for their life after this" "Landos phone bout to blow up" "meeting being set up as we speak"
Lando returned, a smirk still tugging at his lips as he casually sat back down, as if nothing had happened. “Right, Max, what are we playing tonight?”
Max raised an eyebrow, eyeing his friend with a grin. “Look at him, so smug. Had a great night, didn’t you?”
Lando let out a laugh, shrugging nonchalantly. “Told you, mate, we went and had dinner.” He paused for a second, then winked at the camera, his smirk widening. “Just had to head home early to have some dessert.”