Daniel Ricciardo X Reader - Tumblr Posts

summary: [ cs55, cl16, mv1, lh44, fa14, sv5, dr3, mwebber, jb22 x fem!reader ] three major kinks + a couple minor kinks for each driver

word count: 1.8k

content warnings: smut under the cut (minors dni pls!), pwp; i’m not going to tag all of these bc that would take 5ever BUT 1) everything is consensual & in the setting of a happy, healthy relationship & 2) dm me if you are needing any specific tw’s/cw’s & i’ll be happy to share those!

a/n: it’s been a hot, hot minute since i’ve had the energy to write (i was busy surviving my surgery core rotation at a level 1 trauma center & pediatrics at a major children’s hospital), but i’ve been brewing up a lil something for awhile now! i was stalling out on writing the last part of corsica, so i figured i’d at least give you this to get the juices flowing again! i started this blog about six months ago, & i’m nearly at 500 followers & i wanted to take a moment to thank you all! i love you so much and i hope you enjoy this! these are the kinks i think each of these drivers has! what proof do i have, you ask? absolute fuck-all! enjoy, loves! xx

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yes, and? | f1 d!lfs

a/n: Ariana popped tf off with that house music, but ngl I have mixed feelings abt her allegations. don’t be a homewrecker bitches 😘

aussiegrit

liked by oscarpiastri, fernandoalo_official and 96,279 others

aussiegrit Ride a Porsche, save a horse…😆 yourinsta

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fernandoalo_official nice caption 🙌🤣

aussiegrit got a smart gal 😊😂

username thatshouldbemeholdjngyourhanddd

username mark and yn are weird. prove me wrong.

username don’t be a hater if she’s having fun

username having sex with someone’s husband is fun?

username ain’t no one saying that yet

username if I see a dilf using the laughing emoji unironically again I will combust

username then I’ve got good news for you..

username ICONIC QUEEN SHITT

username Honestly get that bag gurlll

username Yn is a grown woman, should’ve known not to mingle with an older man

username is it so depressing to see a successful young woman having a fun time?

yourinsta

liked by sebastianvettel, jensonbutton and 218,718 others

yourinsta ride or die (literally) 😙

view all 35,256 comments

jensonbutton careful love

yourinsta will do 🤭

username hang out with people your age

username stay mad, go touch some grass

landonorris we literally drive fast car for life 💀

yourinsta I KNOW 😭😭

yourinsta when are you visiting 😔

landonorris soonn

username ERM Where.

sebastianvettel glad you had fun schatz

yourinsta anytimee 🫶

username sebastian went skiing and no fucking picture. I’m devastated.

username what exactly are you riding 🤭

username she slayed for that

username DONT TAKE TREACHEROUS ROADS

username DONT MAKE UNNECESSARILY JOURNIES

jensonbutton

liked by yourinsta, aussiegrit, and 122,017 others

jensonbutton off seasonal things 🤣.

view all 28,167 comments

yourinsta slow your horses on drinking mr button

jensonbutton will do love 😉

yourinsta I’ll keep an eye on that.

username taking care of her old man You go girlll

username was this the Santa hat he got from Fernando 😭😭

username it’s also likely that one of them gifted the whiskey as well

username nobody can stop yn and her dilfs on this summer break

username HELL YEAH

username not complaining for the lack of content from the current grid (except Ms gurl herself)

yourinsta

liked by oscarpiastri, mickschumacher and 186,297 others

yourinsta I have no more storage 😔

view all 21,627 comments

sebastianvettel sorry schatz ❤️

yourinsta I maybee forgive you

username grow tf upp

username she got them down bad and you mad??

landonorris why is your phone crustyy

yourinsta I SWEAR IT’S THEMM

yourinsta my selfies ate 🤭

username PERIODDD

username get yourself sweaty old dilfss

jensonbutton deleting is not an option love

aussiegrit buying a new one is

username OH???

username be my sugar daddy please 😩🙏

username Oscar and mick basically cringing at their father figure

username Respect the original rizz gurll

username Sebastian was and still is the original rizz, ask yn 😘

username kimi what are you doing hereeee

f1gossips

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f1gossips Ricciardo, Vettel, Button, Alonso, and Ln spotted in a holiday in Ibiza, Spain. More attendants to be confirmed.

- admin

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username honestly it’s kinda weird that she keeps on hanging out with the older grid while she is literally a Mercedes driver?

username and what’s wrong with hanging out with people outside the current grid

username idk seems kinda weird to me, older men..

username if she’s getting that bag I respect her cause why tf not?

username homewrecker much?

username desperate much?

username homewrekcerr so coquette 🎀

username you guys don’t get it (I GET HERR)

username Spain… so is Carlos joining??

username and Lando’s comment??

username I swear they need to show tf up

yourinsta

liked by aussiegrit, sebastianvettel and 186,727 others

yourinsta told you my selfies ate 😘

view all 18,017 comments

aussiegrit beautiful sunshine ❤️

yourinsta wish you were heree

aussiegrit I’ll definitely see you soon honey

username never let mark know what a dm is so I can keep reading their texts

username if you look closely into the background you can see me drowning in my tears

username omg same!! twinss

carlossainz55 did you pierced your tongue?

yourinsta no?? why would I do that

username why are they so siblings 😭

sebastianvettel

liked by yourinsta, lance_stroll and 385,167 others

sebastianvettel trip dump or whatever the kids say?

view all 27,526 comments

yourinsta correcto

liked by sebastianvettel

username get away from my mann 😘😘

username ngl you got me in the first half

username can the summer break be longer 😭😩

username I miss the dilf trip already. I have nothing to look forward to anymore

username how to…be…a dog ✍️

f1gossips

liked by username, username and 27,156 others

f1gossips Mark Webber and David Coulhart spotted at the Porsche convention, Melbourne, Australia. Lando Norris confirmed in joining the Ibiza trip last week as seen with a fan at a restaurant

view all 962 comments

username i know exactly what you are doing by putting mark in this

username so was it Mark??? 🤭🤭

username Mark please comeback 😭

username come back the kids miss you 😩

username so was it true that she fucked one of them?

username WHAT? WHO WHERE WHEN

username it was rumor but idk guessed it would’ve spiraled at the trip

username had a feeling that it was Sebastian 🤷‍♀️

username SAMEE TWINSS

yourinsta

liked by jensonbutton, aussiegrit and 426,268 others

yourinsta yes, and?

view all 197,727 comments

username OMF MISS QUEENNN

username QUEEN SHIT BITCH

username ITS CONFIRMEDD

username so can I call her ariana now? 💀💀

yall know the drill, interact if you liked it😘😘 let me know who’s your favorite f1 dilf

today’s a great day to take care of yourself!!

“can you watch my boyfriend for a sec?” ❁

f1 grid x fem!reader

summary: TikTok trend with the grid!!

authors note: saw the carlos one and knew i had to write about it!! his reaction made me laugh!! i also just saw mclaren do it to oscar!! i hope the other teams do it to their drivers as well!! also first time writing for seb, jenson, and daniel, i had the time so i said why not?!any feedback is appreciated and please like, comment, and reblog!! hope you enjoy!!

f1 masterlist

Lewis

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to grab something from the car."

You head out, leaving Lewis alone in front of your phone's camera. He looks around, slightly bewildered.

"What? Y/N who’s on the phone? Uh, hey there. I guess I'm being watched. So... how's everyone doing? Good? Cool. Uh, any Mercedes fans here?" He starts talking about his day and how Roscoe is doing, trying to entertain the 'audience'. "Alright, she'll be back any minute now... right?"

Max

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to take out the trash."

Max raises an eyebrow as you walk away. He looks at the phone, unsure of what to say.

"Huh? Um, okay. This is weird. Hi, everyone….I guess…..Y/N what is this?! Who’s on the phone? So…what do we do now? Should I... talk about racing? Or... maybe I could just sit here…?" He awkwardly shuffles in his seat, checking his watch. "How long does it take to throw out the trash? Y/N come back! I don’t know what to say or do!"

Lando

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to get a drink from the kitchen."

Lando grins as you walk away, immediately knowing the TikTok trend. He leans in closer to the camera.

"Hey, TikTok! I was wondering when Y/N was going to do this trend on me! What have you guys been up to? Should I prank her back? Give me some ideas in the comments!" He starts to look around, trying to find something to do. "Should I play some games on my computer or maybe I'll hide and jump out when she gets back?"

Oscar

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to get my food."

Oscar blinks, looking at the phone and then at the door you just walked towards. He frowns slightly.

"Huh? What….okay? Uh, hi? I guess you guys are going to watch me eat my breakfast…Not sure what I'm supposed to do here. Should I be saying something interesting?" He scratches his head, and moves his food around, clearly uncomfortable. "So, did you guys have breakfast yet? I hope you did, breakfast is important….uhhh yea. Y/N!! Babe!! Come back!! I don’t know what to do!!"

Charles

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to take a call."

Charles watches you leave, then looks at the phone, confused but trying to be polite.

"Uh? Wait what? Hello, everyone. I guess your...on watch duty?" He laughs nervously. "This feels strange. Maybe I should sing a song? Or talk about Ferrari? Oh, I know, I'll play some music on my piano!" He moves towards the piano, but then hesitates. "Wait, how long is this call going to be? Y/N! Baby!!"

Carlos

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to make a smoothie."

Carlos looks at the camera, then at the direction you went, raising an eyebrow.

“What is this? Hello? Anyone there? Who were you talking to? Y/N?! Uhhhh hi… Wait, a smoothie? Bebe make me one too please! Okay, hi everyone. This is Carlos, just here... being watched?" He starts looking around, picking up random items on the table. "So, let me show you my favorite things on this table. This is a cool pen, and this is... a coaster. Fascinating, right?" He chuckles, shaking his head. "This is so weird. How long does making a smoothie take anyway?"

Sebastian

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to water the plants."

Sebastian gives you a puzzled look as you leave and then turns to the camera, smiling politely.

"What?! Y/N what is this? Hello? Hello? Anywhere there? I’m confused… Y/N!! Who were you talking too? Honey? … Um, hello everyone… I guess I'm under surveillance now." He chuckles. "So, while she's watering the plants, let's talk about... sustainability! Did you know you can make your own compost at home? It's really simple and great for your garden." He starts explaining the process, gesturing enthusiastically. "I hope she comes back soon because I might run out of eco-friendly tips! Oh wait!! I know! Let me show you my bees!!"

Jenson

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to grab the mail."

Jenson watches you leave with a bemused smile, then looks at the phone.

"Ummm what?! Babe? Y/N? Hello? Uhhh..hey there. So, I guess I need to be watched for a minute. You guys are in babysitting duty? Let’s see... what can I do to entertain you?" He glances around and spots his dogs. "Hey, meet my dogs! Come here babies!." He tries to get their attention but Bentley and Rouge ignore him, while Storm walks up to him, just to sit and stare at him. "Well, that didn’t go as planned. I guess they’re tired from playing this morning. Oh well, maybe next time! Isn’t that right Storm." he says putting down the camera.

Daniel

You: "Hey guys, can you watch my boyfriend for a sec? I need to fix something in the bathroom."

Daniel immediately grins and laughs as you walk away, sensing a prank.

“Huh? Babe? What? Oh wait! It’s that TikTok trend!! Alright, what’s up TikTok, what's going on? He starts making funny faces at the camera and then leans in closer. "I have no idea what to talk about. This is so stupid and awkward.” He says bursting out laughing. He keeps glancing towards the bathroom, barely containing his laughter. "Babe come back!!"

© 23victoria 2024 I all rights reserved. do not republish, steal repost, modify, translate, or claim my work as your own.

F1 drivers

Charles Leclerc

Daniel Ricciardo

Pierre Gasly

Lando Norris

One for the road

✿ daniel ricciardo x actress!reader (and pedro pascal daughter)

✿ just something i have been thinking about

y/npascalisapunk ☑ • 2 hours ago

❤ 🗨️

1,289,037 likes y/npascalisapunk livin my best life

View all 2,876 comments

kit.connor jesus we got kicked out 2 seconds after taking that photo did u have to post it?

liked by y/npascalisapunk

y/npascalisapunk it was absolutely necessary ☝🏼

bellaramsey the people have to see the real you, connor kit.connor oh shut up, you were the one who got us kicked out in the first place bellaramsey not relevant

scuderiaferrari loved to have you there!

redbullracing she had more fun with us

pascalisapunk preciosa 😍🥰🤩 [beautiful]

y/npascalisapunk gracias papá ❤❤ [thanks dad]

danielricciardo ☑ • 8 hours ago

❤ 🗨️

2,789,187 likes danielricciardo guess we can say it now @y/npascalisapunk

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y/npascalisapunk i mean sure i guess it's only been a year yk?

liked by daniel ricciardo

kit.connor remember the convo we had abt me murdering you if you treat her wrong? it's still on

bellaramsey prolly the only time im going to agree w him

pascalisapunk finally able to be proud of my son in law!

danielricciardo thanks pedro!

landonorris i was sick of thirdwheeling for the sake of secrey

danielriccciardo you love her

landonorris not as much as you do

y/npascalisapunk ☑ • 5 hours ago

❤ 🗨️

3,579,970 likes y/npascalisapunk @.danielricciardo it wasn't so difficult was it?

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danielricciardo just a bit

liked by y/npascalisapunk

pascalisapunk now he's going to be my OFFICIAL son in law!

y/npascalisapunk hey! what about me? your actual daughter is getting married!

pascalisapunk yeah whatever LOOK AT MY SON IN LAW PEOPLE

landonorris i'm the best man rigt?... rigt???

maxverstappen1 bro you know it's gonna be me

y/npascalisapunk fight with dan, not with me 🤷🏽‍♀️

The Devil in Disguise Masterlist!

"we have never heard the devil's side of the story, seeing as god wrote the book"

pairing: female!driver oc x daniel ricciardo

warnings: explicit language, drinking, motorsport accidents, mentions of sex, mentions of death, mature themes

introduction

edits

playlist

chapter one

chapter two

chapter three

chapter four

chapter five

chapter six

chapter seven

chapter eight

chapter nine

chapter ten

Baby Steps Masterlist (Ongoing)

All parts linked below the cut

****************************************************

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

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen.

Part Seventeen.

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen.

Part Twenty.

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

[REQUESTS OPEN]

happy birthday to @upsidedownwithsteve​!! this is a day late but we are gonna avoid that. enjoy some good ol’ danny ric smoot :) and we are gonna just pretend these are characters in drive to survive rather than real people💀ANYWAYS ENJOY!!

[6.7k] or, in which you and daniel have always hated each other. but maybe that’s just an excuse to avoid how you really feel about each other. (smut)

.

Daniel Ricciardo knew he was hot shit. 

He was young. He was successful. He was loving life and his life just so happened to be his dream. 

F1 Driver for Red Bull Racing. 

Daniel Ricciardo was one of those faces that everybody knew at the paddock. He was fun and playful and had a smile so wide, it was infectious. He was sunshine personified, the human embodiment of positivity and truly it was hard to not get along with the Aussie. 

Except when it came to you. 

And it drove Daniel mad. 

Keep reading

Just Friends

Daniel Ricciardo x Reader

Summary: Daniel and Y/n insist they are just friends.

Warnings: Language, fluff, drinking.

Word Count: 2867 words

Authors note: Again, sorry if this isn’t the best piece of writing but we only move forward 😊 Hope you guys like it, can’t wait to hear what you think 😊 Also, don't just the pictures, they were done too quickly with the writing on them :D

_____

“I didn’t know Daniel was dating someone new?” Charles kept glancing over towards you two.

Despite Daniel being incredibly private about his love life with the public, to the other drivers he would show whoever he was dating off constantly, so why hadn’t he done the same with you?

“Not his girlfriend” Lando shrugged, confused by the situation but knowing that if Daniel wanted to say something, there was no one on earth who could stop him from doing so.

“So, what I’m hearing is she’s single” Pierre had learnt his lesson talking to woman he shouldn’t be, avoiding looking at you too much, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t noticed how gorgeous you were, suddenly fully indulging in taking you in.

“She might be single, but I have never seen Daniel so protective over anyone in my entire life, so I wouldn’t even bother trying” Lando tried to warn Pierre, knowing that there was a 50/50 chance of him actually listening to him.

“But they aren’t dating?” Pierre was pushing his luck, he knew he was, but he wouldn’t really be a good f1 driver if he didn’t now would he?

“How they fuck are they not dating?” Charles refused to believe a word Lando was saying, the way you to were looking at each other, there was no way you weren’t.

Lando just shrugged, “every single time I mention it he says they’re just friends and just kind of leaves it there so I didn’t press the issue, but she is his wallpaper and nonsense too, but I don’t know man, who knows what’s going on with Daniel” he wish he had a better explanation and he really didn’t believe Daniel for a second when he said that you two were nothing more than just friends but every time he asked Daniel was so adamant that he just decided to drop it instead.

“He’s got to be lying” Pierre nodded in agreement along with Charles, there was no way you were that affectionate with just your friend, at least, none of his ‘just friends’ were ever that affectionate with him.

“Max might know more, but trust me when I say this, she is definitely off limits” Lando shot Pierre a warning look again, daring him to attempt anything, Pierre heading the warning this time with a nod of the head, not entirely understanding the situation, but knowing enough about protective Daniel to know that this was not territory he should venture into.

_____

“So, no Y/n today?” Scott asked as he sat next to Daniel on the balcony, overlooking the Monacan ocean.

“Nah, she’s got some work function, but she should be here in the next hour or so” Daniel triple checked his watch doing the mental calculation on what time you should be arriving, despite you never explicitly saying you would be coming over, you were his best friend, so it was generally a given.

“Cool, cool, yeah, you guys make plans for this evening then?” he knew he wasn’t exactly being sneaky asking, but in his defence he was trying to not get caught prying.

“Nope, but she normally-“

“Normally pops in whenever, yeah, I know” Scott finished his sentence for him, having heard the same thing a million times before.

“I feel like you have something to say” Daniel knew exactly what he wanted to say, it was the same thing everyone wanted to say, but no matter how many times they ask, the answer was never going to change.

“Nope” Scott popped the P, face indicating otherwise.

“Great” Don’t give in Daniel, it’s exactly what they all want, you know what you two are and that’s -  

“Like, you’re sure you two are just friends right?” Scott broke his train of thought, diving right into the same question he hadn’t been able to escape from for weeks, “because like, even your mom thinks there’s something more happening here”

“When did you speak to my mom?” thank you Scott for giving him an out of this conversation.

“We chat” Scott shrugged far too nonchalantly for Daniels liking given that he had just found out one of his best friends was casually talking to his mother like they were mates, “don’t change the topic”

“You’re relentless” Daniel couldn’t do this again.

“You’re keeping shit from your best friend” in truth, Scott was nervous Daniel was going to get hurt, and Daniel keeping secrets, this wasn’t like him, so something was definitely off about the entire situation.

“Thought you were my mom’s best friend” Daniel shot back, using every tactic he could to get out of this conversation.

“Don’t be a smartass mate” Why did they both have to be so stubborn?

The silence a battlefield between the two men, neither willing to give up their position. Luckily for Daniel, you, the ever godsend, rang his doorbell.

“Thank fuck” Daniel hoped Scott heard, wanting him to know how badly he didn’t want to have this same conversation.

Again.

“Ah, speak of the devil” Scoot explained as you joined them on the balcony, you feign offence.

“Come now Scott, we all know I am significantly better looking” you joked around, greeting him with a kiss to the head, always affectionate with those you love, “but now I am curious, what were you saying about me then?” you pressed him, knowing it took absolutely zero effort to get Scott to crack.

“Oh, you know, this and that, talking about you and Daniels precarious relationship” he lifted his eyebrows, questioning you, hoping for the answer he had tried to get out of Daniel.

“Oh god, again? Seriously Scott? Are you truly no better than everyone else?” You could not handle this line of questioning again, it being the only thing you were see all over social media every race weekend these days when it came to the F1 wags.

“Is he bugging you about this too?” Daniel handed you a glass of wine and took his original position on the chair next to Scott, hand wrapping around your thigh as you leaned on his shoulder addressing them both now.

“Neither of you have given an answer though” Check and mate, he was convinced you had to give it up now.

“We’re just friends” you both answered the now well practiced line.

“Fine. Why did she get wine and I didn’t?” None of this was convincing Scott otherwise of you two being just friends.

“You know where the kitchen is”  Daniel jerked his head towards the interior, refusing to get up, “bring the bottle out with you please” Both you and Daniel shot him a look of thanks.

“You both suck” Scoot grumbled his was inside and poured himself a drink before making his way back outside, only two find you two significantly closer, engaged in conversation, completely sure that neither of you even knew he was back.

Fine. You two can attempt to keep this secret, but Scott was going to get you two to admit your feelings for each other one way or another. It suddenly dawning on him that you two might not even genuinely realise how you felt.

With that he grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of the two of you. Time for him and all the fans to get to work making you two see how you really felt about each other.

“Just friends my ass” he said far too loudly in the hopes you’d hear before taking his seat and opening Instagram.

Liked by Pierre Gasly and 16803 others.

ScottJames: My favourite two just friends <3

McLaren: 👀

CharlesLeclerc: @LandoNorris how?!

______

Lando had been searching for Daniel everywhere, boredom taking over at the McLaren garage as both their cars were being fine tuned for the race weekend, eventually making his way to Daniel drivers’ room.

He knew Daniel was with you, when was Daniel not with you, but you were always great company for the young driver too, him beginning to love it when you came with to races, always siding with him when he would pick on Daniel.

What did concern him though was the fact that realistically you two had to be in his drivers’ room, but it was dead quiet in there, and that made him very nervous.

Please don’t now be the moment you both realise your love for each other, and he walks in on either a very emotional moment for you both or the kind of moment that would require hm never looking Daniel in the eye again.

He tentatively opened the door and, hoping you’d both stop whatever you were doing so he wouldn’t be scarred.

Instead, he was met with breathes in sync.

There you and Daniel lay, fast asleep in each other’s arms.

Surely neither of you actually believed you were just friends? Friends aren’t as comfortable as you two are with each other. No, what you and Daniel had was something significantly deeper, like, fuck, something deep. He was an F1 driver, not a poet.

Maybe Scott had the right idea of how to go about this entire thing, and with that he quietly snapped a picture of you both before creeping back out the room and putting it on his Instagram.

Liked by ScottJames and 2859306 others.

LandoNorris: Two just friends napping.

PierreGasly: Do they even know?

CharlesLeclerc: HOW!!

MercedesAMG: The love story F1 deserves <3

______

“Could you two please concentrate? Daniel actually has to train you know that right?” Michael adored you two, lord knows he did, but the way you two were constant distractions for each other was beginning to be a challenge for him today.

“Sorry mate, will be there in a second, just showing y/n this thing quick” Daniel didn’t even bother looking up at him, fully engrossed on your reaction to the video and that alone.

This situation needed to be dealt with. How were you two so oblivious to each other’s feelings?

Michael snapped a picture and sent it to Scott.

M; You have the same problem when they are together?

S: CAN THEY PLEASE JUST ADMIT IT!

M: Do they even know?

S: Doubt it, but that’s why I keep putting it on Instagram, maybe everyone else can convince them.

M: You know that’s kind of cruel right?

S: Just put the fucking picture up.

M: It’s a little private though no?

S: Pussy.

S: If they won’t listen to us, maybe they will listen to THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!

S: Daniels mom says put it up.

M: You text Daniels mom?

S: We chat.

Fuck, if Daniels mom said he should, then who was he to argue.

Liked by LewisHamilton and 56893 others.

MichaelItaliano: Two just friends getting ready for race weekend.

Mclaren: Daniels clearly dedicated to something.

LandoNorris: At least one of us will be ready for race day.

YukiTsunoda: @PierreGasly Goals <3

_____

“See you brought Y/n as your date tonight” Max slid next to Daniel at the bar as he got you both drinks.

“Not you too Max” Daniel couldn’t handle this right now, not when he had this many drinks in him.

“Can you blame me mate?” Maybe it was time someone had an actual straightforward conversation with him about this and if it had to be Max, then so be it.

“Can we not just be friends? Why is everyone so obsessed with us being more?” Daniel was going to need t get one or two extra shots tonight clearly.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you believe the bullshit you two keep spewing that you’re just friends” drunk Daniel was his best bet at having this conversation, so it was now or never.

“I gotta get her drink to her” Daniel opted to avoid the conversation entirely, the bartender handing him his out, not wanting to leave you alone for too long, considering how he had noticed Pierre staring at you this evening.

Before he could leave Max grabbed his arm, forcing Daniel to look at him, “just so we’re clear, you couldn’t say it nor look me in the eye” and with hat Max let him go and turned to the bar, dropping the conversation after that to enjoy his night.

Liked by DanielRiccairdo and 64935 others

MaxVerstappen: Love third wheeling two just friends.

Y/nInsta: Please, more like me third wheeling you two all night <3

PierreGasly: You looked beautiful Y/n 😊

CharlesLeclerc: @PierreGasly you are stupid.

_____

Liked by Y/nInsta and 877348 others.

Mclaren: Just friends congratulating and supporting other just friends <3

MercedesAMG: Goals <3

YukiTsunoda: @PierreGasly why don’t you congratulate me like this?

LandoNorris: @CharlesLeclerc This is just getting ridiculous.

------

“So, you excited for your two just friends to leave so you can spend the rest of your vacation in a small little romantic Italian town with your real just friend?” Scott nudged Daniel as he joined him and Michael down at the beach while you got ready for dinner.

“I actually hate you both” Daniel shoved Scott into the water laughing all the while.

“It would be the perfect place” Michael thought out loud.

“For what?” Daniel was truly at a loss for what Michael was talking about.

“To admit it” Michael was blunt with his word choice, he knows he was, but it was time.

“Really man, this Daniel, the Daniel with her is the happiest Daniel we’ve ever seen, it’s just you two who don’t realise how you guys feel” this was the most serious Scott had ever been about the entire situation and it was weirding everyone out, including himself.

“Guys, no, listen we’re-“

“Just friends” Michael and Scott finished in unison, the same monotone voice coming from both of them.

“Forget we said anything” Michael could only do so much and if Daniel wasn’t listening then what could he do.

“Speak for yourself, you don’t forget a single thing I’ve said to you, remember this shit constantly, I need it to haunt you” Scott was sure this started out as a joke, but by the end of that sentence he was probably a bit too serious.

“Let’s go, y/n should be ready” Daniel began making his way back to you, truly not caring if either of them actually followed at this pointed.

“You would be the leading authority on all things y/n” and next thing Scott was sprinting in the direction of the Chalets before Daniel could catch him.

Liked by Daniel Ricciardo and 45 others.

MichaelItaliano: Two just friends just exploring.

Redbull: Romeo oh Romeo

MercedesAMG: I’m just a friend, standing in front of just a friend, asking him to love her.

LandoNorris: *Kiss*

_____

Liked by Y/nInsta and 24 others.

ScottJames: The totally normal way just friends look at each other.

MaxVerstappen: @DanielRicciardo why do you never look at me like that?

RedBull: @Ferrari why do you never look at me like that?

PierreGasly: @CharlesLeclerc why do you never look at me like that?

______

It had been your first full day alone and you and Daniel had just woken up from a nap after spending the entire day on the beach.

“Wine?” you asked, beginning to make you way to the kitchen.

“When do we ever say no to wine?” Daniel surprised you even had to ask.

“I’ll be back now” and with that you had left the room.

Normally Daniel was hyperaware of your every move, but now, he was distracted. Was everyone right? Well, he knew they were right about him, but could you possibly feel the same? Only drawing himself back to reality when he felt you card your fingers through his hair.

“Come back to me hun” you lightly whispered out as you continued walking out to the balcony.

Daniel grabbed his phone, taking a picture of you, one of the thousands already in his phone of you, but this one of specific importance.

This one signified the moment before the change. The image he could go back to again and again in case you didn’t feel the same. The potential last time things were good between the two of you.

Or the moment just before everything changed for the better.

 Daniel hesitantly sat down next to you; the air around you both different this time. It was time. Daniel had more hope now than he had ever had since meeting you. Daniel had to take the chance.

He took in the moment before one second longer before -

“We were never just friends, at least, you weren’t ever just a friend to me”

The air was thick, it was too silent.

“I never was to you was I?”  

“Never”

He always felt that hearing that from you would give him butterflies and fireworks and all the other things that the movies tell you that you should have but instead, what Daniel got was the overwhelming sense of calm, of peace, of the confirmation that this is exactly what his life was meant to be.

“Be mine then.”

“Forever”.

Liked by Y/nInsta and 583962 others.

DanielRicciard: “Just Friends”

ScottJames: FINALLY!!!! You’re mom is gonna be so happy <3

Mclaren: The ending the people deserve <3

CharlesLeclerc: @LandoNorris I fucking told you!!!!

MaxVerstappen: About Goddamn time.  

Chapter Eleven

"we have never heard the devil's side of the story, seeing as god wrote the book"

pairing: daniel ricciardo x fem driver

word count: 14.6k

warnings: explicit language, drinking, motorsport accidents, mentions of sex, mentions of death, mature themes

previous part

note: if you are on the taglist, and your name is crossed out in red, it means I’m going to delete you off the list unless you reach out and tell me it’s working/if you changed your user! also please tell me if I was supposed to add you to the taglist and I didn’t lol it’s been a while

Welcome back everybody, and welcome to Turkey as this epic championship in 2021 continues onwards. Lewis Hamilton came here last year and won his seventh world title, and now he returns to Istanbul Park with a two-point lead over Max Verstappen, but more notably, having just announced his retirement at the end of the 2021 season. In the last eight races, the championship lead has swapped places three times, and this race has the opportunity to be a very intriguing one.  

Valtteri Bottas lines up with his second pole of 2021. Max Verstappen for the second year running here, starts second on the grid. Charles Leclerc behind these two, nearly seven and a half miles per hour quicker than Verstappen in the speed trap. He’s got Pierre Gasly for company on row two. Fernando Alonso is behind them in fifth; his best start in over 7 years. Sam Thompson qualifies sixth despite having the exact same time as the former world champion, Fernando having completed his lap first. Lando Norris started seventh for the first three races this year, hasn’t started there since but he does today. Lance Stroll alongside him, and then Yuki Tsunoda ninth for Alpha Tauri. 

Sebastian Vettel starts tenth ahead of Lewis Hamilton who starts eleventh for the second time in his career. Esteban Ocon in the Alpine starts twelfth, ahead of George Russell who’s thirteenth, and Pietro Fittipaldi in fourteenth, filling in for Mick Schumacher while he has yet to be cleared to drive after his crash in Sochi. Nicholas Latifi and Antonio Giovanazzi keep each other company on the eighth row; both Alfa Romeos out in Q1 as Kimi Raikkonen starts in seventeenth. Sergio Perez starts eighteenth after taking an engine penalty, and then it’s Carlos Sainz in nineteenth for the same reason. Finally, Daniel Ricciardo starts twentieth after taking a new power unit. 

For the two thousand and twenty-one Turkish Grand Prix, its lights out, and away we go! 

Bottas to the second phase, he looked to have stuttered just a little bit. But Verstappen is not coming alongside him! So it’s Bottas that leads from Verstappen and then over comes Charles Leclerc— 

Oh! There’s a spin from Fernando Alonso at turn one and he’s lost plenty of places and he comes back out in fifteenth place! 

A beautiful adjustment from Sam Thompson to avoid contact with the Alpine, now moving up into fifth place. Not the start that Alonso would have wanted, but Thomson seems keen to make sure she stays in this race after forfeiting valuable points in the last. 

There’s Lewis trying to pass Sebastian Vettel, and on the outside of Esteban Ocon, now passing the Alpine to head into tenth place. 

And now to George Russell who’s in the thick of it, just ahead of Fernando Alonso. You’ve got the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz on the inside finding grip and Daniel Ricciardo getting all squirmy on the outside as he tries to challenge the number fifty-five car. 

There’s your race leader Valterri Bottas ahead of Max Verstappen. Charles Leclerc runs third, closely followed by Samantha Thompson who has managed to pass Pierre Gasly who is now in fifth. Going through there is Norris ahead of Stroll and Tsunoda, and then rounding out the top ten is Hamilton who is putting a lot of pressure on ninth-place’s Sebastian Vettel. 

In the rain so far, it’s only been Fernando Alonso who has managed to spin off. Massive credit to these drivers because these are some treacherous conditions. 

Yeah, these really are difficult conditions. You have a lot of spray in these parts of the circuit, so it affects your visibility. 

A great start by Samantha to get up into P4, Norris in P6, we gotta watch out for him, but Lewis is in the mix rounding outside of almost one, no two cars there! And now he’s right behind Yuki Tsunoda. 

Nicholas Latifi has gone to the back because he’s had a bit of a spin. Hamilton now in ninth place, and there’s his teammate Valterri Bottas who leads this race. Daniel Ricciardo down in eighteenth; he’s trying to get past Carlos Sainz. I think he did, and then he lost the place to the Ferrari again. 

Would you look at this! Great defense from Yuki Tsunoda! Keeping the seven-time world champion behind him a bit longer than we’d expected. It looked like he was going to lose that place and then fought right back. 

Bottas leads by 1.2 seconds, and—

Yellow flags are out! It looks like there is a HAAS in the wall at turn 6. 

Yes, that is the HAAS of Pietro Fittipaldi! I bet you he’s just lost the rear into the turn. 

That’s exactly what he’s done, Jenson. But he creeps back out onto the track rather quickly, a thirty-one-second gap now between him and our race leader. He makes his way back, starting up behind Nicholas Latifi who’s in nineteenth, followed by Sergio Perez who still seems to be struggling in the wet. That leaves Ricciardo in seventeenth and Sainz in sixteenth battling with Alonso for fifteenth. 

This race has already been wild and we’re barely two laps in! 

***

The engineers have said that a 1.3-second pace advantage is enough to overtake here in Istanbul, and that’s exactly what Samantha Thompson has on Charles Leclerc. There she goes, getting in the slipstream of the Ferrari and proving exactly what the engineers speculated. 

Let’s listen to what Charles had to say about getting passed:

“Track limits! Did she not exceed track limits to get by?!”

Martin, I don’t think Sam was even near track limits when she passed Charles. 

I’m pretty positive she wasn’t. I’m not sure what Charles is on about. Sam has been closing in on Charles for the entire 11 laps, maybe he’s just succumbing to the pressure and getting a bit upset about it. 

But oh my god! She’s been given a warning for exceeding track limits! She was nowhere near them! I can just see Guenther Steiner raging right now. He can’t be too pleased about one of his drivers being given a second warning for exceeding track limits when she didn’t even do it!

But Martin, how on Earth is that the second warning? Did we miss the first?

I’m not sure, but for now, here’s what Sam had to say:

“Sam, you’ve been given a second warning for track limits. Drive a bit more carefully if you can.”

“Second?! When was I given my first? We’re eleven laps in?! And what turn did I even go out on?!”

“Charles claims you went off-track to overtake him at turn 12. Not sure where the first warning is coming from”

“And they believe him? Just like that? What about footage?”

“We’re contacting race control now. You were nowhere near exceeding limits. Using the curb at most. Just keep your head down and try to build a gap in case; you know how they can be sometimes.”

I’m shocked they considered that a breach of track limits. It seems as though Charles only said it out of desperation! 

Though they’re in completely different machinery, Samantha has been creeping up on Charles in the driver’s championship. Maybe he’s getting a bit worried? 

She’s just set the fastest sector two, so it looks like she’s pushing as if she’s expecting a penalty. We’ll have to see what the stewards decide. 

***

Lap twenty-nine out of fifty-eight and Samantha Thompson has somehow managed to stay in the top 3. 

That might be true Jenson, but she’s struggling and she knows it. 

“How are conditions, Sam? We need to pit soon.”

“I don’t want to pit until conditions are clear!”

“Sebastian is pitting for slicks.”

“Give me two more laps with these then call me in!”

That hesitation in her response speaks volumes. She trusts Sebastian, even saying she looks up to him, so hearing his plan must’ve made her think.

But she’s really struggling with those intermediates. They’re nearly bald by now, and Leclerc is gaining on her. I think if she’s going to pit for a new compound, she needs to commit sooner rather than later. 

***

It’s lap thirty eight and drivers are flooding into the pits, most of them opting for a fresh set of intermediate tires. 

We just saw a beautiful two-second stop from Max Verstappen as he re-enters the race in third. And behind him, coming into the pits is the driver who was in third. Samantha Thompson. 

She’s driven phenomenally today and if they can get her out of here quickly, she’ll rejoin in fifth position. 

But my god! They’ve got her just sitting there! I don’t see the issue? All her tires are on but they’re not even touching her car. 

Jenson, it looks like she’s serving a five second stop and go penalty for exceeding track limits. Race control notified her team as she came into the pit lane. 

Unbelievable. Her hand is waving frantically so she’s obviously confused, so let’s have a look. 

Yes, there it is, the final corner before the pit lane. A bit of correction for after hitting a wet patch and off she went, just barely. 

If you ask me, a five second penalty is much better than putting your car into the wall. The only unfortunate part is that those first two infringements came out of thin air: she wasn’t off track either time. 

“Chin up, Sam. You’ll be coming out in twelfth.”

“This is ******* ridiculous”

“Engage the rocket boosters, it’s time to go racing”

And there it is, that’s her engineer’s way of telling her to keep her head down and push, and it’s our way of knowing the Hell Rasier is about to live up to her name. 

It’s good to see Floyd Higgins trying to keep spirits high when Sam is upset. What I’d give to have someone encouraging me like that in a headset all day every day. 

***

“If I keep this pace, what are we looking at in terms of positions?”

“If you can get by Esteban, Norris, and Gasly with no problems, P6”

Might I say, these have been some of the most incredible racing laps I’ve seen from Thompson all season. She’s incredible in the wet, and she’s putting her ruthlessness to the test here. 

In seven laps she’s managed to overtake Giovanazzi, Ricciardo, Stroll and just now Carlos Sainz. He’s hot on her tail but it sounds like she’s planning on leaving him in her dirty air.  

Bottas is right behind Leclerc, Hamilton meanwhile, is gaining once again on Verstappen. And Sainz is gaining on Thompson. 

It’s all happening here in Turkey on Lap 47. 

But what’s this? Ferrari has decided to pit Leclerc despite telling him to finish this race on the compound he’s got! He’s lost the lead as he pulls into the pit lane. Seems the gamble they'd planned on taking hasn’t quite paid off. 

***

Ted, can you see that? That’s the Mercedes pit crew getting ready!

Yes, I can. Maybe they think that large gray cloud is going to come closer before this race ends in seven laps?

Hamilton is coming in, let’s have a listen:

“Okay Lewis, so we think we should box this lap. It’ll be our last chance to lose that gap to Thompson.”

“Sure, okay”

He’s doing what he told, but this stop has to be perfect. His tires are very, very old and oh! It was a perfect stop! Very good work by Mercedes. They’ve lost some points, but maybe this is even more damage limitation. 

Yeah, but they might think they can get those back. 

Leclerc goes through, Gasly goes through, I’m watching Thompson comes down the main straight now as Hamilton gets to the end of the pit lane, eighty kilometers an hour but now he can get his foot down. 

He gets back into the race track and ahead then of Samantha Thompson and into sixth place. 

She’s not far behind him, trying to close in, but in that car, she may as well be fighting with one hand behind her back. 

You can see that she’s overheated the rear tires with how hard she’s pushing, see it sliding around?

Hamilton still has a three second gap to the HAAS, but he doesn’t sound to happy to be sitting in sixth. 

“**** man why’d we give up the position?”

“We were going to lose it regardless”

I don’t think he expected to lose three places, and I don’t blame him. With the championship race being this tight, every point matters. 

***

This weekend, from pole position, Valterri Bottas makes it to the final corner and sees the checkered flag, crossing the line to win the Turkish Grand Prix! 

It has been a commanding performance, and that will give him a huge last cheer from the team as he leaves Mercedes at the end of this season and heads to Alfa Romeo. 

Behind him though, Max Verstappen comes home to finish second, where he started in this race, and that race will do nicely for him as he increases his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton. 

Charles Leclerc manages to finish third despite an upset with his tire strategy. His second podium this season and his fourteenth with Ferrari! 

Gasly crosses the line fourth after a fantastic drive. Hamilton comes in fifth after a blunder with his strategy, and Thompson comes in sixth despite a seemingly random penalty from the stewards. Then to finish out the top ten we have Norris, Sainz, Stroll and Ocon. 

All to play for still, only six races remain! We head to Austin next! 

Sam hopped out of her car in the parc ferme, Pietro pulling up next to her in his identical HAAS. While Sam had finished in the points, the reserve driver had managed a 19th-place finish. 

“Decent drive out there today, Samantha,” he said pridefully as he interrupted her conversation with Max. The two drivers stopped whatever they had been talking about and gave one another a look of bewilderment. Having your conversation interrupted was nothing but normal, yet the way Pietro didn’t come in with any hesitation acting as though they would stop to listen to him without a doubt, rubbed both of them the wrong way. 

Max raised his eyebrows at her and nudged his head towards the small driver standing beside them, reminding her she had to answer. All weekend, she had kept her distance from Pietro. Not only was it odd seeing somebody else driving Mick’s car, or the fact that his presence reminded her of the accident and the weight of Mick’s unresponsive body in her arms, but Pietro was far too prideful for his own good. 

Sam held back from rolling her eyes and bit her tongue. “Thanks,” she replied curtly, her annoyance at his presence obvious… Well, obvious to everyone but him. 

“Nearly cost us a few points with track limits, but I’m glad there was the rain to give you a chance to recover the penalty.”

Max nearly spit his drink out, whether from the shock at what Pietro had said, or the look of absolute rage that made it onto Sam’s face, he wasn’t sure. 

“I would’ve made up the penalty regardless of if it was raining, but I wouldn’t have needed to if the stewards hadn’t invented the first two infringements,” she spat trying to control her annoyance. 

Pietro blew air out of his mouth in what Sam could only assume was supposed to have been a laugh. Why was he laughing? More importantly, why did he feel so comfortable doing it right in front of her? They were anything but close and Sam was starting to think it was personal for Pietro; whenever he was in the garage, he rarely gave her the time of day when she’d try and be friends, so eventually, she just stopped trying. 

“Don’t see you scoring any points for the team,” Sam countered. 

“You don't even have a seat, mate. You’re only here because Mick hasn’t been cleared to drive yet,” Max added with a laugh. 

Pietro did not seem impressed with their comments whatsoever. He folded his arms and puffed out his chest, which Sam attributed to the short driver trying to make himself seem intimidating.  

“I’m here because Mick can’t go one race without choking and putting his car in the wall.”

At the way the words left his mouth with a smirk, Sam lunged toward him without hesitation. But she didn’t get far because Max sprung forward to stop her from reaching Pietro, who was looking at them with a laugh. As he turned and walked away, Sam loosened Max’s grip on her and regained her composure. She didn’t want the media to see her lose her cool at her teammate for the weekend, or even speculate why Max’s hands were around her waist-- the last thing she needed was for the constant rumors she was sleeping with another driver to not seem so baseless, but she also didn’t want rumors to start that Max was potentially cheating on Kelly.

“Thanks,” she mumbled. 

He nodded and leaned in close to remind her, “Just remember, at the end of the day, you’re the one with the contract. He’s just their glorified booty call or something.”

Sam couldn’t help but laugh at Max’s attempt to be comforting. Though he was intimidating and ruthless on the track, he had shown her previously how down-to-earth he really was. In a way, she related a lot to him. Both of their merciless reputations on track seemed to overshadow their true personalities; their careers had both been consumed by what the public decided was true. 

With a smile, she said goodbye to Max and made her way to where George was standing next to Lewis. The two were talking, and unlike Pietro, she made herself known with a wave before she reached the two drivers and courteously joined their conversation. 

They chatted for a bit as the winning drivers were finally pulled to do their track-side interviews. After a minute or two, George bid them farewell and walked over to get weighed. Sam watched him leave and as he nearly disappeared under the shade of the garage, she spotted Mick and Molly talking to Lance off to the side. 

She tried, but she couldn’t look away from the two. Yes, she’d been avoiding her two best friends since Sochi, but that didn’t mean she didn’t miss them. Sam watched as Mick smiled and chatted with Lance, Molly chiming in here and there. Though she was too far away, she could hear their voices in her mind, their laughs, the way they interrupted when they got too excited; it sounded as if she was right there with them. But of course, she wasn’t. 

It was selfish of her to keep her distance from them, that was no secret. But the betrayal she felt was unearthed each time she thought about what they’d kept from her— and for how long they’d managed it. She couldn’t bring herself to face them just yet. 

George passed by the group on his way to the scales, and as their heads turned to greet him, Molly’s gaze went past the British driver and landed on her best friend. When their eyes met, Sam froze. Her skin felt white hot and her stomach churned. But what twisted the knife was Molly offering her a smile. 

Internally, she panicked. The two of them stood staring at one another for a few seconds before Sam managed to tear her eyes away. 

Thankfully, Lewis was there to change the subject and unknowingly get her mind off it. He looked around discreetly before asking her what she’d been dreading. 

“Have you given it any more thought?”

Internally, Sam groaned. Because she had given it plenty of thought over the past two weeks. But she still wasn’t closer to an answer. Now that Lewis had announced he was retiring, the media had been sent into a frenzy. 

Why was he retiring at the peak of his career?

What were his plans after F1?

Did he have ulterior motives?

But what if he didn’t win this year?

Would he regret this?

Will he be back?

Who would take his seat?

That last one was the one presently teetering Sam dangerously on the edge of a moral cliff. 

“I— Uhm, I’ve thought about it. That’s definitely an understatement, it’s really all I’ve thought about. I want to— of course, I want to, I just need to talk it through with someone but I don’t know who I can tell and I also need to sort some things out beforehand...”

Lewis nodded, a smile on his face despite the slight panic in Sam’s voice. “Well you’re always welcome to talk through it with me, or Toto even. But please don’t stress yourself out about this. It’s supposed to be an exciting opportunity, and I’d hate to have burdened you by offering—”

Sam cut him off, “Not at all! Lewis, I’m honored you thought of me for the seat, really. It’s just personal stuff, I promise. I’ll have an answer for you before Mexico!”

He laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder,  “No, no, there’s no need to rush it. Take all the time you need. The only real deadline is Abu Dhabi, and it’s mainly a suggestion”

“No, you’ll have an answer by Mexico, and that’s a promise,” she stated with confidence. There was no doubt the decision scared her, but she was excited nonetheless.

Of course she was going to take the offer, there was no doubt in her mind. But there were a few things she needed to do before she could seal the deal confidently, like talk to Guenther about it, let Franz Tost know she’d be turning down his Alpha Tauri offer, politely decline the offer of a ‘quick chat’ from Williams, and talk to Mick. A small part of her, out of spite, wanted to just accept the offer without speaking to him first, seeing as he’d told her to do just that in his fit of rage. But deep down she knew she didn’t want this move to cause a rift in her and Mick’s friendship; it meant too much to her. And if that meant putting their argument aside even momentarily to have a genuine conversation about Sam’s future and Mick’s place in it, then so be it. 

Lewis continued to smile as he was pulled off to head to media. “Whatever you say, Sam!” He gave her a wave, which she returned before she ran to get weighed. 

She wasn’t sure why she’d thrown that out there, or why she’d chosen Mexico of all weekends, but Sam knew she needed to give herself a timeline or she would just push off making the decisions and never come to terms with what she needed to do. 

Sam watched as Lewis disappeared behind a door, and before she could get too lost in thought, she turned and began to make her way toward the scales, but nearly bumped into somebody as she turned around. 

“Where you off to in such a rush?” She was relieved to see that it was Daniel because as she tried to shove down the anxiety bubbling in her chest after her conversation with Lewis, Daniel always made it really easy to take her mind off of things, washing a sense of comfort over her with his humor. 

“Sorry, she mumbled referring to their near collision, “I haven’t weighed in yet.” She pointed to the garage she had yet to step foot in. Without a word, Daniel placed his hand on her shoulder and lead her toward the scales. 

Of course, he wouldn’t say anything, but the second he looked into her eyes, he could tell something was bothering her. There was a glint of unease that he recognized all too well; one he’s seen in the mirror before nearly every recent race in orange. All that mattered to him at that moment was that he continued to be a good friend and that she knew he would be there if she ever needed him again. 

Sam couldn’t help but notice the difference in the feeling of Daniel’s hand in the same place Lewis’s laid only moments earlier. It sent a spark zipping down her arm all the way to the tips of her fingers. It lit a warmth in her stomach that paralleled a fireplace in the dead of winter. And it absolutely terrified her ways she tried to ignore. 

“What answer is Lewis looking for?” Daniel finally asked. 

A lump formed in Sam’s throat, but luckily she was ushered to step on the scale, so she had a moment to collect her thoughts and decided what she wanted to tell Daniel. 

She stepped off the scale and Daniel took her place. Thankfully, his back was turned to her as the volunteer waited for the number to settle and record it down into the system. Sam felt horrible keeping a secret from Daniel, especially with how willing he was to help her in Sochi— more than once— and not ask any questions. 

“If I would be able to watch Roscoe for a few weeks this winter,” she gritted out, thankful he was still facing away from her. 

As if timed perfectly, Daniel turned back around to face her and they started back out toward the media pen. 

“Huh, I never pegged you as a dog girl,” he mumbled as they both got stopped here and there for a photo or an autograph. 

They got a few more feet before they were stopped again. “Yeah? Then what kind of animal girl did you see me as? Hairless cat? Guinea pig? Goldfish?”

A few more photos and autographs. 

“I was thinking more along the lines of horse girl, actually.” Daniel began to laugh and Sam rolled her eyes, quickly flashed him a discreet middle finger, and continued towards the media pen tent. Once they got within a few feet of the entrance, she saw her press officer Paula, but before she could get to the press, she heard another familiar Aussie voice. 

“Great race Sam,” Michael said, grabbing Daniel’s helmet from him as he came up from behind her. 

Sam smiled and thanked him as he went on, giving Daniel the side eye implying she was still annoyed and causing him to laugh in response. 

The physio ignored their antics with a small laugh of his own and a shake of his head, “You excited to head back to your stomping grounds next weekend?”

Sam nodded, “Texas isn’t really my stomping grounds, but I’m excited to be back in the states for sure.”

Then, the thought hit her. 

“When do you guys fly into Austin?” She asked the question to both of the men. 

Daniel answered, “We’re getting on a plane tonight. Gonna spend the extra week in California before heading to the big T.”

Sam laughed at the nickname for the state and then cautiously posed the question she’d been sitting on, “How attached are you to going to California?”

The two men looked puzzled, but Daniel responded. “About as attached as velcro. Why?”

Sam reared her head, taken back by expression, puzzled as to what that meant. She thought about the comparison but decided it was pointless and went on tentatively, fully aware she was about to make a significant leap in her friendship with the two Aussies. 

“The initial plan was to go to Mick’s ranch with him and Molly, but seeing as we aren’t on speaking terms just yet I’m spending the off week back home in Carbondale. I’m not sure if you guys have ever been to Colorado, but I just wanted to extend the invitation; it’d be nice to have some company. I’ve got a pretty big place up there, and it’s super pretty this time of year. Just an offer though, no pressure,” she silenced her rambling by attaching her lips to the straw of her drinks bottle, hoping to drown her anxiety in electrolytes. 

She looked a bit frazzled, somewhat regretting her invitation. It was no secret Daniel loved spending time in Austin, and Sam didn’t want to intrude on his time spent there, let alone make him think she didn’t respect his time. But all of her overthinking was interrupted by an excited Aussie laugh. 

“Are you serious? I’d love that! I’ve never been, but what better way to get to experience it than with a local! I’m picking up a bottle or two before we get there. I want to indulge in some vino on my week off, and from past experience, I don’t trust your wine judgment” The smile on Daniel’s face told Sam everything she needed to know. 

Her gaze shifted to Michael, who was looking at his best friend with a smile. “Ah man, Sam I’d love to go, and I really appreciate the invite, but my girlfriend is meeting me in California tomorrow and I can't just leave her hanging.”

Sam brushed it off. “Don’t worry about it! Looks like it’s just gonna be you, me, and the mountains if you’re still down to go,” she smiled looking at Daniel. His iconic grin was spread from ear to ear. The idea of spending his time off in nature already sounded like something he would enjoy thoroughly, but to get to do it with being alone with Sam? That sounded even better. 

Ever since the time they spent together in Sochi, Daniel couldn’t stop thinking about her— both worried about her and lost in every detail of her. Yes, he’d thought about her before that weekend and the circumstances of the time they spent together after the incident in Sochi weren’t ideal, but seeing Sam so comfortable with him, so willing to be vulnerable with him, changed something inside of Daniel for the better. 

“Oh and you can finally meet Stewart! You’re going to love him!” Sam interrupted Daniel’s thoughts excitedly. 

With that comment, Daniel’s smile faltered just the slightest. Who was Stewart and why hadn’t Sam mentioned him before? He didn’t want to raise her suspicions by asking so he just smiled and nodded. 

“The plane I’m taking leaves tomorrow morning, So I'll shoot you a text with the details once I finish up here if you want to take the same flight. You're always welcome to come a few days later though,” she added with a smile. “Have fun with your girlfriend Michael! See you in the big T!” Sam shouted as she walked off, offering both men a wave before she turned around and walked off. 

Michael nudged Daniel, “So, a few days off the grid just you and Sam…” He suggestively wiggled his eyebrows and Daniel rolled his eyes in frustration. 

“Yeah, and apparently Stewart too!”

Michael laughed, “Whoever he is you can take him. Just focus on Sam and spend time with her away from racing for a while. Don’t worry about him.”

Media was over and Sam was making her way back to the HAAS hospitality to gather her things when she ran into Yuki. 

“Yuki! Great drive today, your defending was wicked,” Sam said with a smile. The rookie driver looked less than impressed to be speaking to her. To be honest, Sam thought he even looked a little scared. 

It took him a moment to respond, and when he did, he did it hesitantly, barely even able to look Sam in the eyes. 

“Uhm thanks...” 

The way he phrased his response sounded as if he was confused and Sam didn’t see why; she’d never really spoken to Yuki too in-depth before, mainly because he was always glued to Pierre’s side, but when she did speak with him in passing it was never negative. 

“Got any plans for the off-week?” she asked, trying to make conversation with him for once, but more so, he looked averse to speaking with Sam and she wanted to know why. 

Yuki stammered to find the words and tried to decide whether or not he should answer her. But before he could get the chance or Sam could get her answer, Pierre interrupted them.

“Yuki, what are you doing man?”

At the sound of the French accent, Sam had to clench her teeth down on the inside of her cheek to keep her cool. The accusation in his tone at his teammate erupted a wave of rage in her stomach, but more than anything it revealed to her that Pierre had most likely told Yuki to keep his distance from her. 

For the first time in a few races, Sam was reminded of her ongoing feud with Charles and Pierre. Unfortunately, Lando had been occupying her brain a little too frequently since her and Daniel’s discovery in Monza as well as her discovery of Mick and Molly’s secret. Her issue with Lando had festered into something new since the start of the season, but her issues with Pierre and Charles still remained solely because of what happened those years ago. 

“Relax, we’re just having a conversation. Didn’t mummy ever teach her precious little baby how to share? I don’t have cooties or anything,” she said, not in the mood to fight with Pierre, especially in the middle of the paddock and especially with how exhausted and overstimulated she was after the race and what followed. 

Sam went to walk away, but Pierre spoke up, “It’s not the diseases you carry that I’m worried about, it’s your entitlement rubbing off. Just steer clear of my friends and we won’t have an issue.”

She laughed bitterly, holding back a scoff, and folded her hands across her chest in defense. “So what I’m hearing is that you’re scared about people finding out the truth now that I’m on the grid?” 

Pierre’s eyes got the slightest bit wider at her comment, and Sam reveled in the slightest feeling of triumph. Just the thought that she’d gotten under his skin or caught him by surprise left her with a satisfaction she hadn’t felt in a while. 

“That’s right. I know exactly what happened. Exactly what you all decided that night. All it takes is for me to accidentally let it slip to one media outlet and then it’ll spread like wildfire: put a crack in your facade,” the words fell from Sam’s lips laced with venom, but more importantly retribution. 

For a moment, Pierre struggled to find the words to respond, but once he did, a subtle smirk found its way to his lips. “If you go to the media, you’d implicit George too. You’d never do that, not with how far your tongue is probably down his throat.”

“You act like I haven’t talked with George about it? We’re friends. And that means he’s willing to hold himself accountable for what he did. He apologized. You could always try it; it wouldn’t hurt that bad to put your pride aside and look at things from my perspective.”

Silence from Pierre. The look on his face was a cross between stoicism and distaste. She wished she could say that the last piece of the puzzle she couldn’t place was regret or guilt, but in all honesty, she had no idea. 

Sam went on, “I don’t doubt deep down there’s a good person in you somewhere Pierre, but after what you did, I don’t think I’ll ever have it in me to trust you again. I hope you’re content with that.”

With that, she continued her walk toward her hospitality to get ready for her flight the next morning, hoping she may have talked even an ounce of sense into Pierre. But alas, her hope was extinguished. 

“Va te faire enculer!”

Sam rolled her eyes and turned around with a sickly sweet smile, shouting to compensate for the distance she’d managed to put between them, “What was that?”

He rolled his eyes because he knew she’d heard him, and repeated the words in French, a bit louder this time. 

Trying to stifle her laughter, Sam shouted again, “What?”

Just as Sam had thought, he was starting to get irritated. 

But at the sound of the noise, camera crews, and reporters had started to make their way over to the trio of drivers; exactly what Sam had wanted. She knew Pierre wouldn’t repeat what he’d said with cameras around, not if he wanted to protect his nice-guy image. But if he did, Sam would have the perfect opportunity to reveal the truth to the public. 

Once he saw the people heading in their direction, he rolled his eyes. Sam’s smile was wide as ever, and she gave him what would be seen by everyone as a simple, friendly wave before continuing her walk to the hospitality. 

Daniel was early to the lobby; of course he was. He was early for everything all the time. It was the courteous thing to do. He always got there ten minutes early and would get out of his car or make himself known five minutes before. 

But there was something about Sam… When it came to her, Daniel was ready far too early in advance and would sit and wait in anticipation until it was time to meet her. Even then, he was still showing up nearly fifteen minutes early. 

That’s how he found himself sitting in the Lobby of their hotel at 5:30 in the morning, nearly twenty minutes early, surrounded by his bags, Michael still asleep in their shared room sixteen floors above him. The space was deserted, only the people behind the front desk were within his view. 

Despite being early, Daniel was exhausted. The conditions of the race yesterday put his body through hell; wet conditions were always harder on the driver because of the slipping and gravitational forces and he was feeling it. His hair was still disheveled, and a hoodie and sweats adorned his body. He was sure he was going to sleep on this thirteen-hour flight, and he hoped when Sam came down she felt the same. 

With fifteen minutes left before their scheduled meeting time, Sam made her way into the hotel lobby. She wasn’t surprised to see Daniel on the couch waiting for her; he’d been early every time they’d made plans together.  

“Early bird gets the worm, I guess,” she chuckled, sleep still evident in her voice. 

Daniel looked up from his phone at her arrival and couldn’t help but smile at the state of her. Sam’s hair was thrown in a bun, one that she’d more than likely slept in he thought, and was wearing a hoodie that was far too large for her, as well as sweats and sneakers. 

She theatrically flopped down in the seat next to him on the couch, leaning her head back against the cushion and closing her eyes with a yawn. 

This time, he allowed himself to laugh, “you tell me!”

“I’m not a morning person. So if you ask me, all the early bird gets is the first worm and validation from its peers.”

Daniel let out a howl of a laugh which echoed through the empty lobby, and Sam was even struggling to keep a straight face. He countered, “What do you mean you’re not a morning person? I’ve seen you at the paddock this early and you look wide awake!” 

She scoffed, “yeah because I have to be! If it were up to me I would sleep in until noon. Which I normally do on the day after a race if there’s an off-week”

Daniel nodded, and Sam’s phone buzzed with a notification. 

“My manager just texted, the car she called is here.”

The short ride to the airport consisted of chats with their driver and trying to convince him that they were both in fact Formula 1 drivers and were not lying as he had assumed. Once they arrived at the private terminal, they grabbed their bags from the trunk and made their way toward the entrance. 

They talked and laughed until they boarded the plane, which had 5 other people on it. Three HAAS team members who lived in the states and would catch a connecting flight later, an Aston Martin mechanic who was meeting his girlfriend in Aspen for a weekend, and finally, none other than Lance Stroll himself. 

Sam found herself sitting next to Daniel and across from Lance. Everyone chatted for the first hour or so until they all put their headphones on and fell asleep. 

She’d slept for about five hours before she woke up to the sound of laughter. When she opened her eyes, she was met with Daniel’s phone in her face, and when she sat up, a bunch of random stuff fell off of her. Chapsticks, water bottles, coins, packs of gum, snacks, phone chargers, and anything else everyone had pulled out of their bag to balance on her while she slept. 

A few hours later, the group found themselves in a heated game of Uno followed by Lance and Sam yelling at one another about the rules which ended in Sam pinning him face down against the floor until he tapped out. 

Once they entered a terrain that caused the flight to be a bit turbulent and they were all buckled into their seats, Lance was reading a book while Sam taught Daniel how to play with chopsticks with her on their fingers. It was all fun and games until he finally caught on to how the game really worked and began to beat her consistently. She protested and reassured him he wasn't allowed to beat her at the game she taught him, but once he continued his winning relentlessly, Sam randomly declared she was tired and put her headphones on to take a nap. Daniel couldn’t contain his laughter at her being a sore loser, but let her sleep regardless. 

“So what’s the deal with you guys?” Lance asked casually a few minutes later pointing subtly to a sleeping Sam. 

The question took Daniel by surprise, his head turning to see if Sam was awake, which to his relief she was not. He shrugged. 

“Sam invited me out for the week. We both need a little bit of a break from everything going on in our lives, so we’re running off to hide.”

The two guys laughed, but Lance persisted. “So you guys aren’t a… thing?”

Daniel shook his head in response, an odd protective feeling erupting through his chest. Was Lance asking because he was interested? Internally, Daniel began to panic. Because even though he knew he and Sam were only friends, he didn’t know what everything else he felt for her meant; it was overwhelming every time talked to her, or even looked at her, but he couldn’t put a name to it. So for now, they were still just friends. 

Lance hesitated before continuing, a smile upturning just the corners of his lips. 

“Really? Because I haven’t seen her act this comfortable with anyone outside of Molly and Mick. Not even George, at least not this early on. It took her a whole year to talk to me in Formula 3 without the threat of murder in her eyes.” Daniel’s spine straightened, and even though he tried to hide it to the best of his ability with a laugh, Lance still noticed the reaction he was able to elicit from the Aussie. “But what do I know,” he finished with a chuckle, Daniel joining in to ease the tension. 

“We’re just good friends. I consider myself lucky she doesn't hate me anymore. She’s pretty amazing.” Daniel grew bashful at his admittance, trying to hide the blush on his face by looking out the window to his left. 

“Yeah, she’s pretty spectacular.”

The two both had their eyes locked on Sam as her head shifted against the window. Small smiles adorned each of their faces at the sight of her sleeping peacefully, but when Daniel’s eyes lingered on Sam, Lance’s eyes shifted to look at Daniel. At that moment he could tell the girl meant much more to the Aussie driver than he’d come forward about, whether he himself had realized it or not. 

With that, they put their headphones on, and while Lance continued to read his book, Daniel closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. 

The plane landed two hours later, and after the group said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, the two drivers collected their bags and made their way out of the terminal. Daniel expected them to make their way toward the cab line or uber pickup zone, but Sam led them in the direction of long-term parking. 

She stopped in front of a black Jeep and dropped her bags. Daniel’s skepticism of the situation only increased when Sam got down on the ground and made her way underneath the vehicle. 

“We’re not stealing this car, are we?” He asked with a laugh. 

Emerging from the floor, she stood and brushed herself off and held a key up between them. 

“Nancy and Glen said they’d drop my car off this morning and leave the key on top of the oil tank after I told them I was coming. They live next door and hang with Stewart while I’m away during the racing season,” she replied, taking Daniel’s bags from him and putting them in her trunk. 

He’d completely forgotten about Stewart, whoever he was, but apparently, he was about to find out. The idea of meeting a man in Sam’s life that he didn’t know, and she knew from outside the racing world, made him a little worried. 

“The drive is only forty-five minutes. We can stop and grab dinner on the way if you’re hungry?” She turned to look at him for an answer as she pulled from the parking lot and started the commute from the airport. 

He shrugged, “I could eat. But I’m not picky.”

And with that, they were off. 

With ten minutes remaining of the drive, the ever-changing topic had landed on Daniel asking Sam about her life here. 

“After I moved out to go live with the Schumachers, I really only stayed here during the IndyCar offseason. But with HAAS’s HQ being in North Carolina, I come back here a lot more often. Especially if it means I get to see Stewart and the Colemans. Nancy and Glen have lived next door to us since before I was born—”

Daniel cut her off, “Wait, this is the house you grew up in?” Sam nodded and Daniel continued, “If you don’t mind me asking, why doesn’t your mom live here anymore then?”

Momentary silence engulfed the car, and Daniel saw Sam’s throat move as she swallowed thickly. “She says there are too many memories to handle being up here by herself.”

With a clear of her throat, she turned on her blinker and made a left-hand turn off of the road surrounded by fields, and down a secluded street. “I’m not sure if the Colemans are home this weekend, but if they are I’d love for you to meet them. We’ll just have to wait and see if they stop by.”

He pursed his lips, perplexed. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam caught on and clarified. 

“I don’t know about you, but I’m turning my phone off this whole trip. In all fairness, it’s been on do not disturb since I got back to the hotel last night… The only person I have set to allow a call or a text to go through from is my manager, and she knows only to reach out if it’s emergent. I’m using this trip to unplug and unwind before shit gets crazy in Austin.”

With a grin, he pulled out his phone, shot Michael a text, and set his phone to the do not disturb setting. He flashed his phone to Sam with a wiggle, “there, me too. Now the only person who can get through to me is Michael, but I doubt he’ll need me. He’s probably too busy spending every last second with his girlfriend.”

“Ugh, I did not need that image in my head, Daniel!” She let out a groan and it shifted into a laugh. His eyes went wide as he caught on to what she was insinuating.

“Oh god! That’s not what I meant, you dirty birdie! Now you’ve put the image in my head!” They laughed about the innuendo as the car pulled to a stop in the large driveway. 

Daniel couldn’t help but stop and stare at the sight in front of him. The farmhouse itself exceeded his expectations. The outside was rustic, looking perfectly quaint and lived in. But what stunned him the most was what surrounded it. The mountains in the background perfectly framed the house, which was bordered on each side by expansive fields, which led into thick layers of dark green trees. Further down a gravel road, he spotted a small barn, or maybe it was a shed. Regardless, it fit right in. 

While he was so preoccupied with the view, Sam had gotten out of the car. She took a moment to notice the awe-struck look on his face, and appreciate that she was able to offer him a bit of solace this week from whatever was without a doubt troubling him. After a minute or two, she finally called out to Daniel to break his trance. 

“You know it’s even prettier out from behind a thick pane of glass!” His eyes snapped over to her figure standing in the driveway, “Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”

She was right, of course. Once Daniel stepped out of the car, even though it seemed impossible, what lay in front of him was even more beautiful than it was moments ago. Now he was sure, regardless of what was troubling him from across the world, in the universe of the media, or anywhere else, it all seemed so minuscule as he stood there, enveloped by the beauty of nature.

Daniel followed Sam as she walked around the outside of the house. He couldn’t help but stare out at the expanse of the field to his left, a small wooden fence being the only thing separating him from what felt like acres of lush landscape. But an animal off in the distance caught his eye. 

Sam approached the fence and Daniel watched as she brought her middle finger and thumb up to her lips, and blew, producing a sharp whistle. At the sound, the head of what he now knew was a horse looked in their direction. 

She cupped her hands around her mouth and into the serene silence of the field she shouted, “Stewie! C’mere boy!”

As he watched the horse excitedly gallop towards them, Daniel knew he had made a royally incorrect assumption. 

He couldn’t be embarrassed for long, because the smile on Sam’s face was unlike any other Daniel had ever seen before. Once the horse made it over, it came right up to her and gave a loud neigh, which he could only assume was from elation. The horse put his head right in front of Sam, and as if it were second nature, she brought her hands up and began scratching his cheeks and nose. It neighed again, and Sam mumbled something to him before giving him a quick kiss on the nose. 

“Daniel, this is Stewart. Stewart, this is Daniel.” She turned to see what Daniel thought, and was met with a look of surprise. 

Yeah. He was utterly wrong. 

“Stewart is a horse?” he asked, still trying to process how he’d managed to jump to conclusions so rapidly. 

She nodded, “My dad’s horse, actually. They rescued him as a pony when I was 12 and we were inseparable. My dad had to pry me off of Stewie when I left for Europe a few years later, and he’s been here living life ever since. The Coleman’s,” Sam pointed to a house barely visible in a clearing of trees, “keep him with their horses while I’m gone, but since I’m back, so is he.”

Daniel slowly approached the horse with his hand held out in front of him to allow the horse to become accustomed to him, just as he’d done with his horses back in Perth so many times.

Once he got close enough, Stewart nudged his nose towards Daniel in an urge to get him to scratch his nose. He laughed at the insistence of the horse, and how friendly he was. 

“He’s 14, so he’s pretty docile. He likes it best when you scratch under his chin,” Sam said quietly, pointing toward where she was referring to. Daniel took her advice and began to give Stewart’s chin a scratch, smiling as he saw the horse’s tail begin to flick side to side in enjoyment. 

“So I was right, you are a horse girl,” Daniel said with a satisfied grin. 

To hide her blush of embarrassment, Sam tried her best to obscure her face with her hand as she flipped him off. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Hours had passed of Sam driving the ranger around the property giving Daniel a tour, telling him all the funny stories from her childhood she was reminded of along the way. They hung out at the stables a bit longer before they both realized how tired they were. 

Finally bringing their bags inside, Sam showed him around the house and where he’d be sleeping. The two put their belongings into two of the guest rooms, showered and changed out of their airplane attire, and decided to order dinner to the house. After they ate, they compromised to open a bottle of Daniel’s wine and unwind as the Colorado sun started to set. 

Sam threw some logs into the fireplace and turned on the gas. In an instant, the logs caught, the flames grew, and an orange glow flooded the living room. She sat down on the couch next to Daniel leaving a decent amount of space between them and tossed a blanket over her lap. He leaned forward and poured red wine into the two glasses that sat on the table in front of them. 

“So,” Sam started as she settled comfortably into her seat, Daniel passing her one of the now full glasses, “you definitely thought Stewart was a person, didn’t you?”

She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip as she waited for Daniel’s reaction. He tilted his head back with a laugh. “Was it that obvious?”

Sam gave him a playful nudge with her sock-clad foot and couldn’t help but laugh with him. “The look of utter disbelief on your face gave it away. Besides, I definitely left out the part about him being a mammal on purpose,” she laughed harder when his eyes got wide at her confession. 

“What, I wanted to see you squirm a bit,” she added as he nudged her right back with his foot. 

The two continued to drink as they chatted beside the fire crackling with heat. It started off as plans for their days off, then progressed to things they didn’t know about the other, and sooner or later they were drunk enough to talk about whatever came to mind. 

“Did you ever find out who leaked those photos of you in Monaco?” Daniel asked, refilling their glasses with wine from their third bottle of the night. 

Sam shook her head, taking a sip from her newly full glass. “No, I don’t think I ever will, to be honest.”

Daniel pressed on, “Doesn’t that upset you at all? I can’t imagine how violated you must’ve felt those weeks after. Those articles, the headlines, the questions you were asked… I couldn’t believe it.” Though they weren’t friends at the time,  the morning Daniel saw the articles and photos released about her, he couldn’t help but feel bad— any decent human being would. They were harsh, far harsher than any articles ever published about him during his years of partying as a driver. If it were him, he would’ve been livid.

“I mean, yeah I’m upset. I’ve faced shit like this from the media before, but this was on another level. I have to think of it as if I continually let it get to me, then they’ve won. And I can’t keep letting the media win. They’ve had a little too much to do with my career being derailed in the past, I don’t need them to have a hand in it possibly happening again.”

She took a deep breath, “The sooner people realize that I’m just an average person underneath my helmet, the sooner I’ll get treated like any other driver on the grid and the balance of the universe will be restored.”

Sam could feel Daniel’s eyes locked on hers and when she turned towards him, their eyes locked. He cleared his throat, “I hate to break it to you, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you’re the furthest thing from normal. You’re extraordinary, Sam. As a racer, a friend, a human, a role model, you’re unbelievable.”

 A blush crept onto her cheeks and she tried to hide it with a sip from her wine glass. 

“Thank you,” she tried to brush off the compliment, never really sure how to take one, “but I mean it like— think of it—” Sam struggled to put her thoughts into words but Daniel sat patiently, intrigued to hear what she had to say. 

She turned to face him, “Okay picture this.”

He nodded. 

“Do you know how in those movies about the presidential family or whatever, they always have a scene where the main character is down in this giant, industrial kitchen, eating ice cream or something pitiful by themselves late at night?”

She looked to Daniel in hopes that he was somewhat following along, seeing as though what she was referencing involved movies including US presidents and he was Australian. But to her surprise, he nodded in understanding. 

“Then at some point, someone comes and joins them, and they have some big philosophical thought-provoking conversation about the existential crisis in their lives, and it’s supposed to make them seem like normal people, doing normal things, despite being someone important enough to be in the White House past midnight, in the dark by themselves?”

Again, she looked at Daniel to see if he understood what she was going on about. Though she was worried she may have been a little too drunk, Daniel had a small smile on his face and nodded again. 

“That’s the moment I need. I need them to see me eating ice cream in the White House at midnight. They need to see that I’m an actual person, with normal human feelings despite being in this abnormal lifestyle.”

Daniel couldn’t help but begin to laugh. 

“Hey! I thought the explanation made sense!” She laughed in defense, reaching over to whack him in self-consciousness. 

Still laughing, he tried to move away from Sam’s attack while trying to avoid spilling his wine. 

“It does! It does! It makes perfect sense! I just can’t imagine you watching a movie with a scene like that and saying to yourself, that’s exactly how I feel!” He laughed again and Sam rolled her eyes. 

Through her laughs, she asked, “So you’re telling me that doesn’t make sense to you? Especially with how everyone is deciding to make their own assumptions about your performance with McLaren and the sleazeball CEO? Don’t you wish people thought about the fact that you’re a human being with feelings before they say all these horrible things about you?”

Daniels's eyes went wide with surprise at her words and then he let out another laugh. 

“Okay I may have overstepped, but I still think he’s a sleazeball! I know he’s your pal but he oozes rich entitled American businessman! I didn’t like him when I’d see him around the Arrows in IndyCar, and I don’t like him now. Not at all!”

“Well it’s a good thing he’s not your boss then…” Daniel trailed off, trying the hide the ounce of pain in his voice behind another laugh. 

“Zak Brown wouldn’t last one day with me as his driver,” she laughed, taking another sip. 

He laughed with her, the alcohol flowing freely through his bloodstream, “I’m going to be completely honest, I don't think I would last a day with you as my driver either…” 

As laughs erupted between the two yet again, Sam scoffed and kicked him. 

For the first time all night, there was a lull in the conversation. Sam didn’t know what compelled her to ask the next questions, maybe it was the alcohol in her system, the morbid curiosity eating her up inside, or the pain he’d try to hide whenever Zak was mentioned. 

“Do you ever regret it? Leaving RedBull?”

The air in the room shifted. 

She’d thought the question would take Daniel by surprise, but the way he exhaled and looked to the ceiling to collect his thoughts told Sam he may have expected her to ask sooner or later. It took him a few seconds before he answered. 

“No,” he said quietly, but not lacking the conviction the response required. Sam couldn’t help but feel sympathetic for him at the moment. She knew Daniel was confident in nearly everything he did and his belief in himself was one of his most powerful attributes, yet even then she could tell that it was still a sore subject for him, and at a time when his career was struggling, it most likely wasn’t something that was easy to think about. In an attempt to revoke her question and stop him from continuing if he wasn’t comfortable, but not before she was cut off by Daniel continuing. 

“But Renault? I start to regret leaving more every day I’m with McLaren.”

Now Sam was the one being taken by surprise. Daniel didn’t seem like the kind of person who dwelled on choices he’d made. But the biggest shock of all was that he felt comfortable enough with Sam to share this with her, so she would be damned if she interrupted him. She offered him a commiserative smile as if she was letting him know he could go on and she would be there after, regardless of what he said. 

Daniel swallowed and went on to say something he had never said out loud to anybody other than his parents before.

“I got greedy. I was blinded by a future full of possibilities, a bigger paycheck, and the promise of success when everyone back at Renault had done everything in their power to make sure I was welcome, comfortable, and succeeded. It was a horrible car, but we worked so hard. I put it on podiums, something that nobody thought was possible. And I was happy, god I was so happy. For once, I was treated like a driver: not a first driver or second driver, just a driver. Most of all I regret letting Cyril down. That man was so dedicated to giving me two great years and made sure I stayed happy while doing it. And what did I do? I abandoned them, I tossed him aside for the promise of podiums and glory. What did I get in return? A shit car, a teammate who seems to hate me for no fucking reason, a team principal who refuses to listen to me, and the public deciding I’m washed. I’m a goddamn fool.”

Daniel tipped his wine glass back and finished its contents. Sam watched him, not knowing how to respond. This was a side to him she’d never seen before. She had a feeling that this conglomeration of emotions is how he must’ve felt when she showed up at his door that night. Should she try and comfort him? Try and relate to him? Reassure him? Hug him? Would that be weird? Long story short she was conflicted. 

With another breath and a final sip of wine for extra confidence, Sam commented. 

“You’re not a fool, and you’re not greedy. How I see it, you’re just motivated. Being able to feel that regret doesn’t make you weak, or a lesser person, it makes you human. Besides, wouldn’t you rather regret the things you did than regret the things you didn’t?”

He sat there looking at her, his fingers quietly running over his sweats where the tattoo on his leg resides. 

No regrets, only memories, he thought to himself.

His gaze remained on Sam, who still sat on the couch next to him, and was silently hoping she hadn’t said the wrong thing. But from how she’d spoken those words, and how sincere they had felt, Daniel was stricken with a question of his own. 

“Well, what about you?”

She raised a brow at him in confusion. 

“What regret of yours taught you that lesson?”

For a second, Sam was stunned. In all her years on this earth, nobody had ever asked her a question like that when she has given them advice, whether it was unsolicited or not. 

She cleared her throat and fiddled with the wine glass in her now clammy hands. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, she took a moment to build up the courage to talk about it. Willing herself not to cry, which would be difficult thanks to all the alcohol in her system. Reminding herself that Daniel had just been vulnerable with her. Taking her own advice she had wordlessly offered him earlier: he’d be there after regardless of what she would say. 

As a last-ditch effort to deflect, Sam mumbled, “I don’t even consider it regret anymore. It’s more along the lines of self-resentment.”

Though she’d tried to brush it off, Daniel gave her an adamant look. Not one forcing her to go on, but one that told her he was genuinely interested in getting to know both the good and the bad about her. And with that, she went on, not holding back. 

“I spent some of the last years my dad was healthy, when he was alive, on a different continent than him. I’m never gonna get that time back. Or him back. He made my mom promise not to tell me he was getting worse; he didn’t want me to worry about him and come home. I was doing so well in GP3, and my mom said that watching me race was one of the few things that made him feel better… she said it reminded him to keep fighting, and that our dream was coming to life. After a race in France, my team principal pulled me aside and told me he’d passed away from stage four pancreatic cancer. I hadn’t even known he was sick. My own mother couldn’t even tell me herself. I was nine thousand miles away, confused, sad, and alone. But before that race, I had been successful, thriving, the happiest I’d ever been, but naive. The guilt eats me alive…”

Sam trailed off with a sniffle, the memories weighing down on her as she was trying to fight back tears. Something inside her compelled her to keep going, and when she fought the urge, she looked up at Daniel. 

It was hard to put into words the look on his face, but something about it, how profoundly earnest he looked for her to continue, allowed her to keep going. 

“The only reason I still race is that I don’t want those months to go to waste. If I’m not successful, then I spent those last few months he was alive, away from him for nothing. I would’ve stopped the second he passed if I would’ve been able to be there with him. It reminds me too much of him and what he wanted for me,” at this point, Sam had allowed tears to begin to escape, “but at the same time, I love it. It’s what I’m passionate about. It’s where I feel the closest to him. Every time I get in that car he’s right there with me. I still like to think that I’m doing it for the both of us, even if he isn’t here anymore. It keeps me sane,” she finished with a lighthearted chuckle, wiping away the wetness from her cheeks.  

The look on Daniel’s face remained unchanged, which sent a pang of fear through Sam. Had she overshared? Had she made some mistake?

Without a word, Daniel put his wine glass down and closed the space between the two of them. 

For a moment, Sam was confused, but when Daniel engulfed her in a hug, she couldn’t help but laugh away the few remaining tears. When she thought about it, she hadn’t hugged Daniel since their podiums in Monza. Even then, it was fueled by adrenaline and overwhelming emotion. This time, it was nothing more than Daniel being a good friend. 

Okay, and maybe the three bottles of wine. 

Still hugging her, he mumbled, “I don’t know why I decided to hug you. It just felt like the right thing to do.”

She could help but smile, remembering the same thought she shared about hugging him earlier. 

“Don’t go soft on me now, Ricciardo. I need to keep up my surly, hard exterior.” 

In times of panic and to avoid new, scary emotions, Sam Thomspon would do what she did best:

Deflect. 

After nearly thirty minutes of convincing and another hour of trying to get through an Ace Ventura movie without Sam asking questions and Daniel laughing so hard he couldn’t even explain the jokes to her, the two decided it was time to open yet another bottle of wine. Their plan was to enact the age-old trick of drinking early in the afternoon to get drunk and tired by a decent time and avoid getting screwed by the time difference, so it only felt right to keep going. 

When the movie was paused and Sam was in the kitchen opening the next bottle, Daniel succumbed to the liquid courage to ask Sam a question that had been chipping away at his subconscious for a while. 

“Can I ask you about Sochi?” He saw Sam’s steps falter at the question on her way back over to the couch. She put the two glasses on the table in front of them, followed by the bottle, and took a second to get comfortable before answering. 

“Which part?” she asked with a forced laugh as she brought her fresh glass to her lips and took a long sip, reminded of just how much had happened that weekend. 

Daniel hesitated. But he was curious, and there was no harm in asking, especially seeing as they’d already been so open with each other tonight. “What happened before the race?”

Sam didn’t look up from whatever had her attention in her wine glass. He held off from continuing, but her lack of response gave him enough time to think to clarify what exactly he was asking about, which he did. 

“You’d said you and Mick got into a big fight, and when I suggested I should grab Molly, you panicked and told me not to. They’re your best friends and you didn’t speak to them at all this weekend, let alone look in their direction.”

Sam’s eyes stayed locked on her lap, avoiding eye contact in defeat for as long as she could. 

Daniel persisted. “You even let it slip to me and Michael that you weren’t on speaking terms. They’re in Texas and you decided to come here, with me, so I feel like maybe I should know what I’m getting caught up in if it’s anything at all…”

He trailed off, worried the way he’d phrased his question may have been too entitled. But Sam took another sip of her wine and nodded. 

“No, you’re right. I came to you with no explanation that night and I invited you here on a whim. You deserve an answer.”

Daniel couldn’t help but feel sympathetic at the look on her face. It was obviously still a hard topic for her, and he started to interrupt her to tell her she didn’t need to go on if she wasn’t ready until he heard the words that left her mouth. 

“They knew Lando was lying to both of us. Ever since Monaco.”

Eyes wide and jaw slack with shock, he stared at Sam. The way she’d said it told Daniel that she’d been trying to process it still, even over a week later. It was completely out of left field for him; he thought back to both Mick and Molly over the last few months and what he’d seen of them. He was downright confused and it must’ve been written all over his features. 

Sam saw the look on his face and went on, trying to clarify, “When Mick gets upset, he does this thing where— I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like he blacks out and someone else completely different takes over, and then shoots to kill. I— I shouldn’t have done it, but I was angry and I lost control for a second…” 

She took a deep breath and continued, continuously swirling the wine in her glass around and looking away from Daniel periodically as if she was ashamed. 

“I told them that I knew they were dating. I’d known for a while and I was going to let them tell me on their own terms, but in the rudest way possible he had just told me to take the offer and so I was blinded by anger. And his rebuttal to that involved telling me he’d known about Lando lying to us. I’m not sure if he even meant to. But he did. Then Molly stepped in and tried to defend him, but she just implicated herself in the process.”

Sam went on to explain the betrayal she felt as they allowed her to continue to villainize Daniel for no reason, intentionally leaving out Molly’s silence that night in Hungary despite its significance to her anger, but still managing to find a way to let him know she felt more upset with her in comparison to their fellow driver. Then she moved on to what she’d told Mick in the hospital that night and how she would need time to figure out how to get past this. 

After she’d finished, Daniel didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected either of them to know; they hadn’t led onto it at all. The thought evoked something in him that he couldn’t explain. He felt hurt, offended even. But if he felt like this? He couldn’t imagine how Sam must’ve taken the news. 

Yet in the moment, he wanted to backtrack on a detail he’d managed to catch. 

“Sam…” he couldn’t help but smirk a bit at what she’d implied in passing, which made her raise her eyebrow in confusion. 

“What offer?” 

Now he was full-on smiling, playfully wiggling his eyebrows as he leaned closer to her with his hands clasped patiently. 

She momentarily felt concerned that she’d dropped that detail without knowing, but couldn’t help but smile at Daniel’s reaction. With a chuckle, she dropped her head into her hands with a groan of frustration and abandoned the effort of keeping her secret. 

“This wasn’t supposed to be how you found out!”

He laughed at her annoyance with herself and persisted, “Well come on! Tell me!”

“Lewis wants me to take his seat…” she said shyly, still hiding behind her hands. 

At that, Daniel’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and he let out a yell of excitement, “No way!” 

Sam laughed at his response, but in an instant, she was off the couch and in the air slung over Daniel’s shoulder. She was thankful she’d put her wine glass down before she became airborne as he spun her around her living room. 

“Calm down! I haven’t accepted it yet!” She laughed out, feeling a warmth spread through her. 

Sam thought back to how Mick reacted to the news, how she’d hoped he would, and how he’d ended up doing so. She knew it was unfair to compare how Daniel was reacting to how Mick had, and while it made her momentarily sad, she was just thankful she was able to get the news off her chest and even more, have her opportunity celebrated by someone and draw away some of the doom and gloom she felt surrounded her opportunity so far. 

Daniel placed her haphazardly back onto the couch and flopped down next to her. “So?! The fact that Lewis thought to offer it to you first is an incredible accomplishment!”

They laughed and then turned to face one another. The silence was electric as they stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. Without breaking eye contact, Daniel whispered, “We need to celebrate.” 

A smile came back onto Sam’s face, “Yeah? What did you have in mind?”

He playfully pouted, “This is your place, you’ve got to have a bottle of tequila somewhere…”

“Aren’t we already decently drunk?” She laughed. 

Daniel scoffed, “I fear we may be one glass from plastered, but that has never stopped you before…”

He couldn’t help but notice the slight tint of color that appeared on her cheeks. She rolled her eyes with a smile, “you know me a little too well, Daniel Ricciardo.”

And after that, the mood of the night stayed upbeat. Though the moments of intensity and full disclosure had passed and been replaced with celebratory tequila shots, they were not forgotten. 

It was only nine o’clock when the credits of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective began to roll in the dark of the house. The obnoxious music played as names scrolled, faceless lists of letters rushed by, and logos flashed across the screen. Eventually, the list disappeared through the top of the display, the movie production logo flashed across the screen one last time, and the screen went dark. Silence engulfed the house, except for the crackling of the few remaining embers of the dying fire. And on the couch across from the television, lay two sleeping friends who had far too much to drink, slouched against the cushions, heads stacked on top of one another, that were dreaming about god knows what, without a worry in the world.

OUTSIDE THE TURKISH GRAND PRIX POST-RACE MEDIA PEN

Molly was worried. 

Worried she’d back out once she came face to face with Sam.

Worried Sam might ignore her again. 

Worried Sam will never forgive her. 

Worried she may have lost her best friend 

Molly was standing outside the large media tent waiting for Sam. After the looks they exchanged earlier, she knew she wanted to attempt to get back on good terms before the race in the states, seeing that it was a race weekend they’d been planning for since the start of the season. The initial idea was for Sam and Molly to go to the Schumacher ranch leading up to it, but now, Molly would be going alone with Mick; they hadn’t spoken to her since Sochi, so they took it upon themselves to assume she wouldn’t be joining them. 

She wanted nothing more than to apologize yet again to Sam and let her know how profusely sorry she was. For the past two weeks, Molly had been nothing but miserable. Sam had gone out of her way to avoid her, like spending excess hours in the simulator, booking them separate hotel rooms, showing up to the gym for their training sessions but keeping her headphones on with blaring bass while acting as though Molly wasn’t there, initially letting Molly follow her around the paddock like normal without speaking a word to her until Molly realized it was a waste of time, and coincidentally being needed somewhere else whenever Molly would enter the same room. 

Every time she’d tried to talk to Sam, the driver acted as though Molly didn’t even exist. 

The fact that Sam made eye contact with her today, despite how brief it may have been, gave Molly hope that if she tried to talk to her she may be more inclined to hear her out. 

So as she waited for Sam to finish her interviews, the anticipation was eating away at her. A small part of her was tempted to barge in there and pull her aside, but she knew better. 

She went from pacing back and forth, to fidgeting, and then settled on impatiently bouncing her foot. But in an instant, the anxiety turned to annoyance at the sound of her name. 

“Molly! What’s with the sour face? Are you not happy to see me or something?”

She rolled her eyes, “Fuck off, Lando.” All she thought of when she looked at him was how she’d been dishonest with Sam and how he’d been the root of it, yet as she tried to walk past him and away from whatever he had to say, he blocked her path. 

“Oh come on now! What did I do this time?” He was laughing. Of course, he found something about teasing her amusing. She didn’t put it past him now that she knew what he’d done. 

In fact, she was done playing this game, done pretending like she was oblivious, done pretending to be friendly.  

“I know what you did to Daniel and Sam…”

But where she expected terror, shock, or even denial on his face at her revelation, Molly was met with amusement. 

“Yeah, I know.”

The pit in her chest tripled in size. She said nothing, waiting for him to clarify, in disbelief at what this could mean. 

The way his eyebrows raised and pulled the corners of his grin with them made her uneasy. He went on with a chuckle, “Do you think I scream my secrets out over the loud bass in clubs frequently?”

If what he was implying was true, that meant… She couldn’t even finish her thought because the chasm in her gut nearly swallowed her whole. 

“After a while, I realized Danny and Sam would find out what I’d done; it was only a matter of time. And I honestly didn’t think it’d last this long, but the two idiots managed to drag it out. And in Monaco, after Daniel’s rubbish race and Sam’s near podium, I thought they’d connect the dots. So I saw my chance and I took it.”

She couldn’t move. She wanted to walk away, but she knew she needed to hear exactly what he’d done. 

“The idea didn’t hit me straight away. Honestly, it came on a whim. The initial plan was to put Sam in a compromising position and sell pictures of it to the media for headline news the next morning. That part was supposed to be a no brainer, seeing as how she constantly capitalizes on free drinks and can’t control herself around tequila. And then I saw you, well you and Mick really.”

The smirk that was spread across his face was nauseating— he was enjoying this. Everything in her was telling Molly to walk away. 

“You two were cozied up with each other at the corner of the bar. Tsk Tsk very naughty of you two… Does Sam know you guys are together?”

She could tell her silence was egging him on, giving him the perfect opportunity to continue. She tried her best to keep her face neutral as a defense. 

“But then it hit me: you’d do anything to protect Sam. And seeing as though I thought my days of deception were done for that weekend, I thought why not make it a little more interesting? So Fewtrell and I just so happened to make our way over to the bar, a patron or two down from you to avoid suspicion of course, and then the rest is history.”

Her throat was burning. She wanted to scream. She wanted to yell. She wanted to punch the satisfied look right off his face. She couldn’t believe it. 

“It’s not my fault you’ve got a knack for eavesdropping. Besides, all you had to do was tell Sam what you’d heard. But seeing as I’ve seen you around Mick more than I have her this weekend, I take it she finally found out what you’ve managed to hide since Monaco.”

How had she been so blind? So naive to the possibility? 

“Bravo, by the way. The guilt must’ve been excruciating. And look where it got you. Groveling. Alone—”

“I'm not alone—” she choked out. 

Amused, Lando locked eyes with Molly, “did you drag Mick into this?”

He watched as hurt flashed across her features as confirmation of his speculation, “Some friend you are then, yeah?”

Tears were flooding her eyes, but she refused to let them fall in front of him-- she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. With a sickening smirk, Lando closed the space between them and hovered his lips right outside of her ear. 

“I read you like a children’s book, Molly. Keep that in mind for the future,” he spoke quietly. And with his final words, he walked off somewhere behind her. 

 She had no idea where, because she stood frozen, tears blurring her vision and leaving trails down her face as she attempted to control her breathing. She couldn’t process what he’d just said-- what he’d done. Time after time, Molly thought Sam was being a bit too intense when it came to her grudge against the remaining three drivers from her past; that’s why she’d tried to protect her, she didn’t want her best friend to take a little feud too personal and erase a career she’d worked so hard for. 

But now? Now she understood. 

Mick walked out of the media tent with his press liaison and was surprised to see Molly waiting outside. What shocked him, even more, was the state she was in. 

He waved off his company and quickly made his way over to the girl, pulling her out of the center of the busy paddock and into a quieter corner. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?”

The light grip he held on her shoulders brought her back to earth, but her mind was still racing and she could barely find the words with how worked up she was. “It’s uhm, it’s Lando. He did— he made sure I— now he knows—“

“Molls take some deep breaths. Now try again,” he whispered, tilter her chin so she was looking into his eyes, giving her a nod of encouragement.

She took a deep breath, allowing her anxiety to melt away in the pools of Mick’s baby blues. “Lando planned this. He knew I would try to protect Sam so he set the whole thing up and made sure I heard him at the club.”

His face contorted in confusion, but when he was met with genuine concern in her voice, at her final clarification, he knew the breadth of the situation:

“Mick, he knows that Daniel and Sam are on to him. We have to call her.”

LONG TIME NO SEE!

thanks for letting me take a little mental health/school break. life has been kicking my butt and I needed to get it together.

I don't necessarily love how this chapter turned out, but I hope it was worth the wait at least.

reblog and tell me what you thought or you SMELL!!!

as always, thanks to @lightsoutsainz for beta reading <3

tags:

@honey-leclerc @laura-naruto-fan1998 @loverboysainz @ibelieveinunicornsaf @d0ntjudgemy50shades @theplobnrgone @idkiwantchocolatee @ccloaned @lightsoutpierre @eitak-t @alternativemadchen @a-distantdreamer

@ricciardo-is-racing @glitterquadricorn @canadian-girl87 @riccardoshoey @sauce-pansexuals @eternallovers65 @eternalharry @dr3lover @defnotsobbing @scotlynaurora @hoodpankow @canyouseethesainz @marelovesf1 @ariarossisworld @markluv4u @slxtforbonten @aceniixx @the-art-of-existing @monte-carlando @dan3avocado @itsjustmyopinionf1 @prettybiching @thatchickwiththecamera @oneoftwoghosts @jpotterdilf @lovingdennishauger @verstfosi @icecoldtires @clairejpg @oyesmendes @eas-8 @inchidentwithmax @capela-miranda @yearsof-war

@imonlyherefordannyric

Memories Hold Me Hostage

Daniel Ricciardo x Fem!Reader

Warnings: break ups, lots of pining, little bit of jealously, lots of flashbacks, mentions of alcohol and the consumption of, being drunk, heartbreak all around, mopey Daniel for the win tbh 

Word Count: 5.0k

Author’s Note: If your name is Alyssa, sorry ?? just pick a different name LMAO // the current parts take place between the Australian 2022 GP to the Imola GP 2022 // inspired by Glimpse Of Us by Joji 

***flashbacks in italics and dated!!!***

Part Two: Nothing Ever Changes 

—- 

Sunday the 10th, Australia, 2022. 

The hair colour caught his eye - that can’t be right, his eyes were deceiving him. 

She quit her job. She moved. She ran away from everything that reminded her of him. 

And yet, she stood down the pit line from him, a green t-shirt clinging to her body and the camera hung around her neck, a smile reaching from one ear to the other as a giggle slipped past her lips. 

The love of Daniel’s life was all but a few feet away and he couldn’t bring himself to move. 

You wanted nothing to do with him. 

You avoided Daniel like the plague, keeping him at a hundred mile distance as often as possible. You weren’t even supposed to be here. 

Moving to London was the best decision you could have made after the two of you broke up and now you stood in front of the Aston Martin garage in your green shirt and your camera around your neck. 

Sebastian had begged you to take the job, claiming that no one else did it like you did. 

The need for a job wasn’t what brought you back to Melbourne.

He was - the man who you knew was standing all but 50 feet away from you. His laugh carried across the noisy pit line, hitting you like a ton of bricks. 

“You alright ?” Sebastian called, pulling you back to reality. 

“Let’s get some of you and Lance, yeah?” You followed the man into the garage, watching as he and Lance situate themselves in front of the car, one on each wheel. 

Your heart pangs in your chest, reminding you of all those years ago. 

Australia, 2014. 

“Would you two quit that?!” You shout at the two of them. Daniel chased Sebastian through the garage with a screwdriver and Sebastian was hiding behind you and you were now stuck between the two drivers. 

Keep reading

wow.

Though I Have To Travel Far, Remember Me. | D. RICCIARDO

summ. Of grief, love, & the art of moving on. pairing. daniel ricciardo x genderneutral!driver!reader w.count. 3k a/n. Warnings for descriptions of race accidents, death, and panic attacks. Relationship can be read either platonic or romantic. Don't know why I made this, but I guess it's angst hours. Enjoy!

He knows you.

He knows that you don’t much care for the debate over coffee or tea, and that you despise doing PR duties on race weekends. He knows you can’t take your alcohol well even when you say otherwise, knows you always enter your cockpit on the right-side because of some silly superstition you believe in.

You could be lost in a crowd and all you’d have to do is stay still, and he’d find you somehow, someway.

You know me too well, you always say. (There had been a time he hadn’t seen any fault in that. You are a part of his heart, after all, and everyone understands it.)

But right here, right now, in the aftermath of flames and debris and the flash of reds illuminating the downpour— he wishes he didn’t know you at all.

They’re okay, Tom speaks over the radio, because it was a race engineer’s job to keep Daniel calm, because it was the right thing a friend would do. They’re okay. Let the marshalls handle it.

He sounds so sure of himself that perhaps, in another world, Daniel would have believed it.

He doesn’t.

It’s muscle memory carrying him out the car. Nothing is broken, he tells the marshalls. He’s fine. His ears are ringing, but he’s fine. He needs to see you. Where are you? You should be out by now. It’s a bad crash, yeah. Aquaplaning. A bad clip to the rear, and a bad corner. But you’ll be fine. You’ll be okay. You have to be. 

It takes 2 and a half minutes.

The fire isn’t even out, yet, when they manage to drag you out from underneath the crumpled remains of your car, unmoving.

Your visor is shattered, helmet melted across the crown. It’s a horrific sight. 

From where he’s standing near, there had been no need to check for a pulse, or to search for your eyes.

One look is enough, because, well.

He knows you, like that.

This doesn’t feel real Tell me this is some sick fucking joke. Come back to me.

The circuit pays tribute to you on Race Day.

A replica helmet of yours sits on a pedestal. Before the memorial, the drivers had brought flowers to the corner that had taken y— The commentators speak on your history, your records, your defeats, your victories.

Daniel hates it. They don’t know you. They don’t care. Even in the minute of silence, he can hear the shutter of cameras going off. Netflix crawls and buzzes around the garage and his motorhome like flies. They trail him wherever he goes, now, with a camera to his face and a boom-mic as a listening ear. The survivor, media call him. The one left behind.

Lando makes note to sit close to his side through it all. He’s never seen Danny look so… empty, before.

He muscles through the media-training, now twice more intense, sits through the PR-fed script that Daniel has to recite perfectly, and brushes elbows with him through several painful silences when Daniel just… isn’t. He’s grasping at straws trying to get the man to brighten, even if only for a little while, but he’s out of his element. All he can offer is company and company alone. 

He hopes it’s enough.

10 minutes before they start, the team tells Daniel they’d hold nothing against him if he’s uncomfortable with proceeding the race.

Daniel disagrees, says he’ll win this one, for you.

And he does, miraculously. Everyone rejoices, because, well, it’s the perfect story, isn’t it? A perfect tribute for an old friend now lost, the articles would read. The other half who are bold enough, claim the race had been rigged in his favour. He doesn’t really care.

When he crosses the finish line, there is only relief. No closure, no nothing. 

You’re still gone.

On the podium, Daniel looks up to the sky and comes to the sad realisation that colours aren’t as bright, anymore, without you.

I won the race. Wish you were here with me Everything feels wrong.

They bury you on a sunny Tuesday.

Everyone comes. Daniel can’t remember most of it. 

He knows you would have liked the flowers, though. 

Don’t go where I can’t follow. Remember that promise?? Fuck you I needed you

I’m sorry. I miss you I love you Should have told you that more.

He smiles less, now.

Figures that if he can’t truly do so, he shouldn’t. 

The crescendo of life rings flat since your absence. The fans notice. Everyone does. His world had plummeted the moment it tipped on its axis, and ofcourse, they capitalised off of it, because there’s always a story to dig out; always a meaning behind the blue looks and the fragile words.

They say, It’s like he’s lost his shine. They say, Formula 1 didn’t just lose one driver that night, they’d also lost—

“Daniel?”

He blinks. He’s in a post-race conference… somewhere. He can’t remember exactly how he did for the race, really; can’t even remember the past week or when he got here, sitting alongside Lewis and Alex. 

Grief warps time in a way; makes it feel meaningless. Minutes blend to hours and hours blur to days. It does nothing for him but serve as some sick reminder that it had taken you, instead, and that it will take and take and take a—

“Would you like me to repeat the question?”

“Ah, yeah, sorry.”

“What do you feel about the FIA’s take on the recent viral post regarding ██████’s accident?”

It’s like his brain absolutely refuses to hear your name. 

He knows the post. It had been a photograph released, days following your crash. 

A grainy capture of Daniel, walking away in defeat, rain coming down with his head in his hands. An immortalised snapshot of the moment he just knew. In the backdrop— the bright lick of flames that was your car, and a glimpse of your silhouette limp against the arms of medical marshalls.

It divides the world of Motorsport, for some reason. Disrespectful, they cry, to you, to Daniel. The other half crow in delight— a parallel, they sing, like Purley walking away from Williamson’s fatal crash.

“Yeah,” he tries again. His voice comes out unfamiliar even to his own ears. “Yeah, I did. I…”

He remembers he drowned himself in alcohol after seeing the picture, until he fell asleep; thought that maybe he could erase the abysmal sight from his brain that way. It didn’t. 

“I—” I saw it. 

I saw nothing, and then I saw everything. 

I saw the back of your car too little, too late. I saw the spray of rainwater and the blinding fire before I saw the wreckage between the smoke. I heard the sound of metal screeching against metal, and the sound of gravel hissing underneath your tyres. I saw the dented halo and I saw the nose of your car crushed into the barrier like paper and I knew, I knew.

I knew when your arm went slack onto the ground after they’d lifted you out. I knew when they removed your helmet, and when they tried to get you breathing. I knew you were gone. I knew.

I just knew. 

I, I think— I—

“—can’t breathe.”

“Yes, you can,” says Lewis. They’re off-stage. Daniel must have managed to stumble out of his seat, somehow, and avoided answering the question. “You’re alright, man. You’re okay. Breathe with me.”

They stay like that until the trembling stops.

Until it feels like he’s breached the surface of the tide.

I can’t do this without you Just come back to me Please.

The thing about loss, Daniel realises, is that the reminders will come in waves. 

The water recedes, and it’s not until he sees glimpses of the life you lived;

An unfinished puzzle set he’d started with you, headphones left on his hotel room table waiting to be picked up again, a pair of linen slippers beside his own waiting to be worn, your scent still lingering in the shirt he’d let you borrow before free practice.

—then the next wave comes and pulls him under.

He used to rely on those memories to carry him through the rough patches, and now it just makes those patches rougher. 

Sometimes it's the second-nature. Habits he’d picked up from you. He’d use a word that you use while in the garage, catch himself in a mannerism he’d adopted from you mid-interview, because time is funny like that. Sometimes he’d scroll so deep in his phone and forward a post to you, only to hover before he presses send, because I forgot you aren’t here, anymore.

He breaks his phone the third time it happens.

When he picks it up, the screen is shattered.

It sends him spiralling. It had looked too similar, too familiar; the crack of your visor, the chip of metal, the the sight of—

This time, no one is there to help him breathe through the attack. 

The tide ebbs, flows. It climbs up his ankles and to his knees, up his chest, to his neck. He wonders if he’ll drown.

He doesn’t.

“That was fucking reckless,” Pierre snaps, rattled to the bone after a harrowing clash that leaves them both with a DNF. “Are you insane?”

It had been Daniel’s fault. The media will eat this up, and blow it out of proportion, because it’s part of the story, because it’s part of the arc they’d forced onto Daniel. 

“It’s racing,” he snarls in reply, stopping short in the graveltrap. He still can’t recognise his own voice.

“No,” Pierre says, sharp. “That was fucking suicidal.”

Later, when the adrenaline has waned, and the race ends, they apologise to each other. There are no cameras watching, this time. It’s sincere. 

“You have to look around,” says Pierre, who is just as familiar with the haunting weight of life, and of death. “Don’t you think you still have so much to lose?”

I dreamt about you today Kinda wish I didn’t wake up Im scared I’ll forget the sound of your laugh.

Survivor’s guilt, their FIA-mandated psychiatrist diagnoses. It’s often a symptom of Post-traumatic stress disorder. Do you know what that is, Mr. Ricciardo?

“Yeah.” He lets out an empty laugh. “Self-explanatory, don’t you think?”

Their little therapy sessions are compulsory but ineffective, in his opinion. He talks, and she writes, and she writes again. Better off he saves himself the trouble by licking his own wounds.

“I know grief,” says Charles, one day. He says it like the name of an old friend. He may not fully understand Daniel’s guilt, but he can understand loss— he’d been shaped by it. Maybe, just maybe, that will be enough, to share with Danny.

It’s a Sunday evening. They’re celebrating a mutual friend’s birthday. Daniel plasters on a fake smile for the pictures, eats cake, and uses the party as an excuse to drink himself numb. Another year older! they cheer, and he ignores the pang in his heart when he remembers he will never celebrate yours, ever again. 

“You say you knew them well, no?”

A frisson of something runs through Daniel. It sobers him in an instant. “We grew up together. I would know better than anyone.”

Daniel amends himself, when he realises his tone had come off harsher than intended. He’s been doing that recently. But Charles dismisses it with a kind smile. Grief had a strange way of changing people, often. He’d know.

“What were they like?” Charles leans back into his seat. “Tell me about it all.”

So he does.

As fondly as he can, at least, without choking up.

Dumb little anecdotes about you that had never held significance until you’d gone; like the flavour of ice-cream you like, and the way you reacted to his first tattoo, insisted on being there for the rest. Or all the troubles they’d gotten into as children, thick as thieves, how you always stood up for Danny, above all and despite it all.

They talk until their bottles run empty; until the satellites and the stars light the sky, and for a brief moment, it feels like you’d never died.

It’s better than all the sessions he’s ever been forced to take.

“I think… I think that, they will be sad to see you this way.” 

Perhaps it had been the stumbled, child-like way that Charles speaks, that has Daniel reeling to a stop. 

“The question you should ask yourself, maybe,” says Charles, whose simplicity has always offered him a different perspective, “Is how would they feel about you surviving?”

I know you would've wanted me to live to the fullest. But it’s hard to be happy nowadays I’m trying, though. You always said the answer is in the attempt I hope you’re proud of me

He arrives on set for a final interview with Netflix that season.

“What was it like to love them?” the woman asks, at the end of it. 

If he’d been surprised they didn’t ask: what it was like to lose you?— it didn’t show.

Daniel gives a sad smile. “As easy as breathing.”

I keep thinking you're still here Like i'm waiting for a knock on my door. It’s the end of the season When are you coming home?

The fans shower him with gifts. Sometimes, there are letters for you. He doesn’t have the heart to open it. You would’ve hated that— their private, you’d argue.

In Abu Dhabi, he receives a booklet from a fan. It's titled, in bold: For the Darker Days.

It’s a fan-project, she says, We collected photos and messages, for when you have the time to read it.

He leaves it on the top of his luggage bag, and when the end-of-season celebrations had ended into the early hours of the night, he finds he still doesn’t have the strength to open it.

He doesn’t have to wonder if he ever will, though.

Come next morning, when he slips out of bed, it’s flipped wide open. Daniel doesn’t believe in divine intervention. Never has, never will. Coincidence, he chalks it off, until he’d read the message on the page—

Danny, don’t let the walls you built to protect yourself become your prison. 

“Trying to talk to me?” he says to the silence. Desperation is strange like that. 

No answer comes, of course. It takes him a moment to realise he’s crying.

He slides to the floor by his bed, and flips through the pages with shaky hands. Bahrain, Australia, Miami, Monaco— There are photos of you, and him, and fans; sometimes all three, throughout the races. You smile in all of them. He reads through the fan messages.

By the last few pages, you stop appearing in the pictures.

Lewis coordinated a dinner, by the way Sebastian’s retiring You’re probably the only one who could’ve convinced him to stay, i think.

They left a seat open for you at the awards ceremony Everyone keeps looking at me  I hate it I don’t want their pity

Mick pauses at that, when Daniel mentions it idly in passing. 

“You’re mistaken,” he says, kindly. “You confuse pity with… compassion,”  

It hits him then, that this is Mick he’s speaking to— the only one who’d know best, what the unwanted condolences and the unwelcome consolations would feel like, every step he takes in his life.

He soaks it in for a while. Daniel is not so used to the younger ones giving him advice, these days. 

Growing old is a gift— Sebastian starts, when the Autosport Awards emcees invite him for a speech— And I forget that, sometimes.

He glances to the empty seat they’d left in tribute to you, and then towards Daniel.

Daniel doesn’t see pity, this time. He’s glad.

I miss you I love you I wish I could hear your voice one last time

The waters of Australia are freezing, and so you scream whenever he kicks the shore up like a child. 

You’re childish, you yelp. There’s a taste of saltwater in your mouth, and the breeze is drifting across the both of you. In about an hour, the sun should set past the horizon, soon. 

A childish world champion, he wiggles his eyebrows. You’re in his jeep now. One hand of yours is out the window— the one with the shared friendship bracelet— and your hair is whipping from the winds. Both of you are in Austin, Texas, this time. 

World champion? In your dreams, you laugh. It’s bright and airy and full of life. Daniel knows you don’t mean any harm. Regardless, he’s too busy getting drunk on the sound of you alone.

Speaking of drunk, he should get wine for tonight. Both of you are in Monaco right now, anyway. It’s always beautiful this time of the year. Flowers are in full bloom, and good food is around every corner. What should we get for dinner? 

You look over your shoulder to see he’s slowed to a stop. What’s wrong, Danny?

…I’m dreaming, aren’t I? 

He sees the answer in your hesitance.

Yes, you admit, finally. You are.

Oh. The scene shifts and blurs. The rooftop of his childhood home is solace for the both of you. Can I ask you something, then? 

Daniel reaches for your hand. You squeeze. Anything.

Will everything be okay? he asks.

You smile. He makes sure to carve it into memory. 

Everything will always be okay in the end, Danny.

I think i’m learning to be okay without you Feels weird to say. But i know you’ll be fine with that Because, well. I know you.

secret admin | daniel ricciardo social media au

pairing: third driver danny ric x reader

admin loves daniel but he has a girlfriend, he jokes and claims that gf and admin are the same person...but what if it's not a joke anymore?

redbullracing

liked by danielricciardo, yourusername and 416,088 others

tagged: danielricciardo

redbullracing me when the boss man tells me i'm not allowed to post thirst traps of drivers hands on social media

view all 4,711 comments

danielricciardo yeah stick it to the man

landonorris red bull admin about to lose their job

sebstroll why do i feel like red bull admin is on THIN ICE

redbullracing because admin IS on thin ice 🥶🥶

itsnotcharles admin has a crush on daniel and is quite literally risking their job for it

liked by redbullracing

yourusername

liked by yourbestfriend and 368 others

yourusername topic is: I❤️NY

view all 19 comments

yourbestfriend ohhh she finally posts the mystery man

yourusername 😉😉😉

f1wagupdates

liked by paddockgf, hamiltonn44 and 6,792 others

f1wagupdates Daniel Ricciardo seen in NYC with a new girl attached to his hip! No name yet but they must be serious if he brings her to the states weeks before COTA 🤔 leave your thoughts in the comments!

view all 318 comments

ghostlewis rip red bull admin, hope she's taking the news okay

gaslygal and here lies the red bull admin x danny ric romance 😥 gonna miss those interactions

paddockgf watch as red bull admin stops posting about danny ric now

redbullracing added to their story

yourusername

liked by chloestroll, yourbestfriend and 415 others

yourusername tonight

view all 26 comments

yourbestfriend how long are you in NY for??

yourusername idk man i just go where the job takes me

redbullracing

liked by landonorris, f1 and 571,993 others

tagged: danielricciardo

redbullracing save a horse ride a da- sorry, ride a cowboy

view all 67,880 comments

danielricciardo yeehaw baby

paddockgf sorRRY?? RIDE A DANIEL? admin is openly flirting with him on social media now

landonorris woah admin keep it g-rated

redbullracing just close your eyes young one

yourusername 🥵🥵🥵

liked by pierregasly and landonorris

danielricciardo

liked by redbullracing, pierregasly and 611,935 others

danielricciardo texas photo dump (did i do it right? pierregasly)

view all 29,007 comments

pierregasly 👌🏽👌🏽

hamiltonstire how is it that hes not even driving and he's still the most popular guy in the paddock

landonorris whos the girl

danielricciardo rbr admin landonorris pretty sure you shouldn't be kissing red bull's admin danielricciardo i do what i want

redbullracing danny ric ladies and gentlemen, everyone's (my) favorite cowboy

redbullracing added to their story

redbullracing added to their story

danielricciardo

liked by yourusername, redbullracing and 488,913 others

tagged: redbullracing

danielricciardo black and white

tracktalk admin is on a date with danny ric !!!!!! the jacket, the hat!! it's all the same as red bulls story post 🥺🥺

paddockgf wait okay maybe that Marina girl on twitter was right, this girl sort of looks like yourusername

landonorris she kind of looks familar, have i seen her around the paddock before?

danielricciardo are you dating the rbr admin too?

yourusername added to their story

danielricciardo

liked by yourusername, redbullracing and 613,892 others

tagged: yourusername

danielricciardo great day for a birthday

view all 18,992 comments

redbullracing why does she look familiar

danielricciardo have you looked in the mirror recently?

yourusername i love you thank you

landonorris happy birthday yourusername i also love you

danielricciardo are you flirting with the red bull admin? on social media? landonorris i learn from the best

paddockgf YAAAA IT'S CONFIRMED

russellstires someone tell the fbi to hire that marina girl

liked by redbullracing and danielricciardo

requests are open

❣️!fight for her love!❣️

Pairing: Daniel ricciardo x femOC (Cherrie!)

Word count : 9k

Summary : in which he’s gonna fight for her love…literally . And drag max and lando into it too because why not?

A/N this is the funniest thing I have ever written. Not serious at all srry but this is what happens when I don’t sleep. I can’t even. This is my favourite oneshot ever lmfao

Daniel wrapped his arms around both max's and lando's shoulder with a loud announcement of his arrival , following their eyesight to see what they were having a nosey at.

His own brow raising at the sight of the love of his life , the same woman who was also very unaware that she was Daniels soulmate (in his words), walking hand in hand with a dark haired man down the paddock.

Feeling his stomach turn, he struggled to keep the same bright smile plastered on his face.

Trying to ignore the looks of pity that he was getting from his friends who knew every single little bit of his infatuation for Cherrie.

"So this is the new boyfriend then?" He mused,  tongue in cheek as they all squinted their eyes at the man by her side . Titling their heads to the side simultaneously as they all thought the same thing.

"Is he a model?" Daniel came right out with it and asked .

There was no way that he wasn't. With a muscular body and a face like a fucking Greek god, Daniel was certain that this was the very same man that was on the front package of the Calvin Klein boxers that he had bought last week.

Lando winced for him "I think so. He's very..." he hesitated.

Not knowing if he was supposed to be honest about how good looking her new boyfriend was or if he was supposed to lie to make Daniel feel better .

Max made the decision for him, blunt as ever. "Good looking. They look good together. It makes sense. Her looking like a goddess and him looking like that.." he mused unhelpfully.

Not one to ever make anyone feel better in their misery.

Lando shot him a look of disgrace .

“Max! That is not helping!" He told him shocked by his lack of sympathy for their friend.

Daniel just snorted as he crossed his arms over his cheek, shaking his head in denial.

“”Nah I don't see it. He's not that handsome. Not as handsome as I am. It's very obvious that I'm the better choice for Cherrie." He informed them confidently , not allowing this little bump in the road to get him down.

He was nothing if not stubborn and determined to make sure that he and Cherrie were going to be together forever.

Both of his friends couldn't help but laugh , shaking their heads at him in amusement . Mostly pity on their faces at his very clear lie about the other mans looks.

"Mate.. I hate to say it but she's dating a Adonis ." Lando said truthfully.

All of them still stood together like a group of mean girls as they eyed the gorgeous couple in front of them.

Daniel shot him an offended look. "Are you saying that He's better looking than me?" He then made a dramatic sweep of his hand over his body as though he was showing off something incredible.

“Me?! The most handsomest man in the entire universe?" He exclaimed , still grinning despite his impending heartbreak.

They both laughed at his antics. Lando giggling "you've got some serious competition mate." Then he added curiously "do you think his abs are real? I can see them through his tshirt." He mused in amazement as he looked at cherries new boyfriend in slight awe.

Daniel immediately shook his head, pulling a face as though he was repulsed by the sight of the man.

"Absolutely not. He's definitely a steroid maniac. A terrible match for the love of my life. She's needs someone to cuddle that doesn't feel like a brick wall." He stated to them.

Max grinned mischievously , nodding his head along to his bullshit.

“Yeah you're right Daniel . She needs me. I'm more than happy to offering my cuddling services to Cherrie-" he couldn't even finish his joke before Daniel had him in a headlock.

Shaking his head with his fist as max tried to get out of his hold while laughing hysterically.

"The only arms that shall hold her shall be mine!" He declared dramatically before finally letting him go .

Max huffing at him with a grin as he tried to straighten out his now fucked up hair again.

Lando snorted at him slyly "well I don't think it's your arms around her now is it? Maybe it's time for you to give up .." he said knowing fully well the reaction that he would get at his suggestion.

Daniel looked at him like he had just shot him up the ass. 

Mouth dropping open in disbelief "me? A quitter? I don't think so mate! This is just a mere .. test that I need to overcome." He told them casually before walking over to one of the flower bushes near where they were standing and plucking off a large daisy.

Max grinned "and how are you going to overcome this exactly? Because the last time she had a boyfriend that wasn't you , you didn't handle it very well." He reminded him. Lando giggling at the memory.

By not handling it very well they meant the way that Daniel had made the man join them for golfing only to run him over with the golf buggy and threaten to do it again if he didn't dump Cherrie.

The man obviously hadn't been there the next day and they had been left to console a upset Cherrie over her missing boyfriend who had dumped her without any explanation.

Daniel hugging her and patting her head as he told her that she didn't need that asshole anyways, ignoring his friends incredulous looks over the fact that it was his fault that he had hauled ass out of the country as soon as he could.

Daniel just shrugged casually , not in the slightest bit remorseful for running over her last boyfriend with a golf buggy.

He'd do it again if he had too.

"I'm going to kill him with kindness. Till he shows his true colours and snaps." He told them simply.

His friends looked skeptical, not believing that was his only plan.

Lando hesitated "well.. at least he's not going to actually kill him. That's a .. plus?" It came out more like a question.

Not trusting that Daniel wouldn't try running over her new boyfriend with a golf buggy as well.

Daniel smiled brightly , nodding his head.

“Yeah! That's plan B. I'll just do plan A first and see how that goes." He casually stated before patting them on their shoulders and sighing loudly.

"Well, I better go introduce myself to her soon to be ex boyfriend! Wish me luck amigos!" He happily exclaimed before hurrying over to the the couple before they could leave .

Leaving max and lando to exchange amused looks between them, also a little weary of their friends plans.

"Do you think it will work?" Lando asked him curiously . As they both watched Daniel throw himself at the couple, startling them.

Max just laughed "he's not going to stop until it works. I just feel sorry for the guy. He stands absolutely no chance against Daniel." He simply answered as they got ready to watch the shit show about to go down.

Cherrie almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a large body push through between her and her boyfriend Matt , two arms wrapping themselves around each of their shoulders as Daniels smiling face popped between them.

"Well hello guys! And hello man that was on the package of my boxers!" He almost sang as he grinned between the two of them, side eyeing her boyfriend a little meanly.

Definitely steroids. He thought to himself as he felt the bulging muscles of Matts shoulders and arms beneath him.

Not a fight I would win. He also thought.

Deciding to scrap the slightly terrible plan of fighting him on the spot in a spar for her love.

He didn't think that Cherrie would find it very hot if she had to watch him get his ass handed to him by an underwear model.

That was not the way to get her to give him a chance.

Cherrie eyed him in slight amusement , her smile growing as she wrapped her arm loosely around his waist and gave him a little squeeze.

Laughing when Daniel leaned down and bumped his nose against hers happily.

There was no way she couldn't smile around someone like him, he was like a personal ray of sunshine that followed her around and made her day brighter.

He was her favourite person in the entire world. No matter how annoying he could be sometimes, she knew that he meant well.

"Hey Danny! How was your break?" She asked him , ignoring her boyfriends look that he was giving her. Clearly not liking the way that Daniel had his arm thrown around him.

He grinned down at her, ignoring model man for a moment as he took in her sun kissed cheeks and pretty eyes. Fighting back a dreamy sigh.

"It was fun! I missed your gorgeous face though!" He told her honestly before hearing her boyfriend clear his throat .

Making him turn his head to look at the unimpressed man, Daniels smile turning a little forced at the sight of him.

"Seems that you've been a busy girl though. Where did you find this one?" He kept his tone light and playful as he dropped his arm from matts shoulder , patting his back instead .

So Did he hit his shoulder a little harder than he should have? It was purely an accident of course!

Cherrie flushed a little, looking between the two very different men that were staring at her.

"Erm-at a club?" Her answer came out more as a question from the pure nerves rushing through her from the way Daniel was gazing at her. His eyes never leaving her face , impatiently waiting for her answer.

It felt somehow wrong to be introducing another man to him like this.

The two of them were so close and affectionate with each other that at some point along their friendship Cherrie had genuinely thought that something would happen between the two of them.

I mean they already acted like a couple! They did everything together! Daniel even had a key to her apartment for when he wanted to let himself in and keep her company.

Where one was the other was never far behind, Daniel always making sure to keep his hands on her at some place or another .

Which was why she had been so hopeful that something would happen.

But it never did.

There had been plenty of times and opportunities where he could have made a move . But he didn't. And the closest he had come to kissing her was when he was drunk and he couldn't keep his hands to himself , kissing her all over her face and around her lips till she had to push him away .

It was why she had decided to herself over the break that she had to move on. She couldn't keep pining after a man that only saw her as a close friend.

Unaware that he was as in love with her as she was him. She had distanced herself from him over the holidays, telling herself that it was for the best when she had met matt at her club and went home with him.

Determine not to get her heartbroken , she just went with it instead .

Daniel rose a curious brow at her, surprised at her actually keeping a hookup around. Recalling the way she had once told him that she would never ever date someone that she met in a club for one thing.

What had changed?

"Ah a club.. the place where you will definitely meet the right person. I mean they might as well have a sign that says 'meet your perfect future husband who definitely wants a serious relationship right now!'" he sarcastically said before he could stop himself .

Matt frowned at him.

Cherrie nudged Daniel in the side with a nervous giggle . Shaking her head at him in amusement despite herself.

"Daniel! Behave! We've just been getting to know each other.." she smiled at Matt feeling a little bad for not warning him about how dramatic and obnoxious her friend could be sometimes.

In fact she hadn't told Matt about him at all. Because most of the time the guys she went out with couldn't understand the closeness they had and the tight bond they shared between them.

In fact, she had lost more than one boyfriend because of the way they had accidentally made them into a third wheel , even though they were just friends. They did act like they were together sometimes .

Which was mostly Daniels fault seeing as he couldn't keep his hands to himself and rarely ever left her side unless he had to.

Daniel just smiled before picking up the daisy that he had picked and sliding it behind her ear, gently pulling her hair toward so it framed her pretty face and the flower.

Cherries cheeks flushed, eyes nervously glancing between the two men with completely different expressions being presented to her.

Daniel was smiling at her while he pulled out his phone to take a picture of her , meanwhile her boyfriend looked nothing less than annoyed at Daniels behaviour.

"Do you know what her favourite flowers are?" Daniel directed his question over to Matt , keeping his voice friendly as he finished taking photos of Cherrie and put his phone back in his pocket .

Facing him fully again so he could look the man in the eye when he spoke.

He had read somewhere that eye contact was a great way to assert dominance in the wild.

Matt smiled a little at Cherrie "roses." He answered confidently. Saying the flowers that he had gotten her one their first date.

Daniel sucked in a dramatic breath through his teeth and pulled a faux look of pity towards him.

"Oooo wrong mate! She actually hates flowers. She feels bad when they die cause she always forgets to look after them." He told him as though it was something that he was supposed to know.

Shaking his head in disappointment at him, despite still keeping his usual smile on his face .

Finding it easier not to fake his grin when he noticed the way matts eye twitched at him, not happy with him at all.

Matt frowned at him "you've just given her a flower!"

Daniel laughed "yeah but that's different. That's just cause she looks cute with it in her hair like that. I wouldn't get her them for a first date. That's not very creative is it?" He teased although he was a hundred percent serious.

Cherrie cringed internally at the way her boyfriend was clearly squaring him up , easily falling for the way Daniel was winding him up.

She pinched Daniels hip and gave him a warning glance , he just laughed and held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Stop it." She muttered to him before smiling sheepishly over to Matt.

“Ignore him . I did like the roses.." she lied to make him feel better.

Daniel laughed even harder , wrapping his arm around her head and hugging her to his side as he swayed them from side to side . Happy to be able to have her within arms reach again.

He felt like he had gone through actual withdrawal symptoms without her over the holidays.

" I heard someone say once that as soon as the roses die then the relationship will too." He made up completely on the spot just to wind up

Matt even more.

Her boyfriend scoffed and rolled his eyes at him, Cherrie just glancing between them nervously.

"Then I'll just keep replacing the dead roses then. Then she'll never have to see them die." Matt countered back to him .

Daniel smirked at him, beyond amused at himself .

This is going to be a piece of fucking cake. He thought smugly to himself , seeing how easy it was to piss him off already.

He gave him another week till shit hit the fan. A fan that he would be holding up above them.

"Keep giving her flowers that she doesn't like? Ooo doesn't sound very thoughtful man.." he smirked, looking him up and down judgmentally.

At that Cherrie let out a nervous laugh and patted Daniel on the back before pulling away from him, taking ahold of her annoyed boyfriends hand instead.

She smiled at the two of them, wanting to get rid of the rapidly growing tension as quickly as possible.

And she had a feeling that if she just stood there and let Daniel wind Matt up some more, that it wouldn't end well for any of them.

"Okay! Well.. we better get going! It was nice seeing you again Danny!" She started to pull her boyfriend away from her friend as quickly as she could.

Daniel was still grinning as he called over to her "are you coming with us for drinks tomorrow?"

Cherrie gave him a guilty smile , hating breaking their weekly tradition of bar hopping with their friends. But she had no choice.

She couldn't just ditch her boyfriend to drink with the man that Matt definitely now hated.

No matter how much she wanted to.

"I can't! Matts taking me out to that new fancy restaurant tomorrow night at seven!" She told him with a little wince. Feeling bad.

Daniel hummed , titling his head mischievously.

"Heart and Soul?" He questioned , thinking of the new overpriced restaurant that had just not long ago opened up.

He had been planning to take Cherrie there himself, just the two of them. But he guessed he had to change his plans again.

But no worries. He was nothing if not Adaptable to new situations.

Cherrie just nodded her head with a smile, feeling Matt tug on her hand impatiently so they could leave .

If possible Daniels grin grew even bigger , a plan already forming in his head.

"Well have fun gorgeous! I'll see you soon!" He shouted to her, blowing her a kiss too. Giggling to himself at the glare Matt shot him over his shoulder.

He almost felt sorry for the sucker. He had no idea what was coming to him.

Serves him right for being anywhere near the love of my life. Daniel thought stubbornly to himself.

He had it coming to him.

Daniel could feel the wary looks of his friends on him as he dragged them out of the car excitedly , looking up at the brightly lit restaurant with a grin.

Even Max looked impressed as he glanced inside the five star restaurant, Daniel leading them straight over to the hostess booth.

"How did you get us a reservation here?" He asked him curiously .

Lando too busy gaping up at the several large chandeliers in amazement . "Wow so much light!"

Daniel just beamed at them as the hostess began leasing them to their table, shrugging his shoulders casually .

"I told them that I was planning to propose tonight. Fantastic publicity for them really!" He informed them casually.

Their heads snapped over to him simultaneously, sharing a worried look between them.

Daniel had simply told them that it was a small dinner between friends. That he was just curious to see what the new restaurant was like.

They felt a little stupid for believing that bullshit now as they watched Daniels head snap around in every direction of the dining hall as though he was looking for someone.

"Who the hell are you going to propose too?" Lando exclaimed , half in amusement and half in worry.

Max was squinting his eyes at Daniel suspiciously as he gave them his best innocent grin, ignoring the questions as they were seated around a red clothed table that was lit up with candles for them.

"Wow this place is fancyyyy! Look at all these couples on their cute little dates!" Daniel said, still searching for a familiar head of hair.

His heart jumping victoriously in his chest when he finally spotted the love of his life sat at a table a few spaces to their right.

Max and lando sat down in their seats, still looking at him in confusion.

"Is there a reason you wanted to come here so badly?" Max asked him, referring to the way he had desperately begged them to come with him. Claiming that he needed the support from his best friends.

Max wasn't sure how much support they could give him eating food.. though they hadn't said anything about his strange reasoning. Never ones to turn down free food that someone else was paying for.

Daniel crossed his fingers together as he smiled at them, glancing over at Cherrie every few seconds to make sure that she was still there and not going anywhere.

"Oh ya know.. just wanted to enjoy a special night with my amazing friends who would support me and always have my back no matter what.." he laid it on pretty thick.

They looked even more alarmed when he gave them a slightly guilty smile , shifting in his seat restlessly .

Lando winced "oh god what did you do now?-"

Max had already spotted the reason for their friends sheepishness a few tables down, groaning loudly in disbelief as he glared at Daniel in annoyance .

"You can't be serious mate! Did you know she was going to be here?!" He then answered his own question bedore Daniel could say a thing.

“Of course you knew she was here! Fucking hell danny!"

Lando followed his line of sight, eyes widening at the sight of Cherrie and Matt holding hands, clearly on a date.

Looking over at Daniel who was shamelessly grinning at them, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my god!" He giggled while max shook his head disapprovingly . Two different reactions to the situation.

"What are you going to do? They're on a date!"

Daniel just ran a hand through his hair and straightened out his smart white dress shirt with his hand the best that he could .

"I'm just gonna make sure that's she's having a good time." He casually answered them "something that she can't be having without me! I'm going to make her night even better!" He told them confidently .

Lando continued giggling at him, while max just shook his head at him in disapproval.

"Daniel.." he sighed putting his face in his hands knowing that they were about to get dragged into his idiotic plans too.

“Matt is not going to be happy if you crash their date. He already looked like he wanted to smack you yesterday." He stated matter of factly.

Daniel just nodded along uncaringly "that's why you guys are here. For backup." He casually informed them of their roles.

Which made lando promptly stop giggling, eyeing him with sudden worry.

"Mate I hope you aren't expecting me to fight him if it all kicks off! He's massive! He'd crush me!" He almost squeaked , eyes wide as he looked over at cherries new boyfriend worriedly .

Daniel just rolled his eyes as though he was the silly one .

"That's why I brought max as well. He doesn't stand a chance against all three of us against him . We're like the dream team!" He beamed at them.

Max deadpanned at him. Utterly fed up.

Ignoring their expressions , Daniel let his smile fade for a moment . Getting serious again.

"-and anyway I did some digging into this guy and he's not who he says he is." He whispered to them.

Lando , if possible, looked even more worried.

“He's secretly in the mafia and going to kill us?" He blurted out, scared.

Both Daniel and max gave him a weird look.

Daniel just snorted "no. It's even worse.. he's married! He's got a wife in Dubai!" He told them the shocking news that he had found out.

Both of his friends gaped at him in shock.

"Holy shit are you serious?" Max gasped alongside lando.

Daniel nodded his head , face set. "Serious as fuck guys. And judging by the love of my lifes gorgeous and innocent ... so fucking pure and easily tricked- god bless her- I mean look at how cute she looks with her perfect-" he started to get distracted as he gazed at her longingly.

Max clicked his fingers in front of his face impatiently, snapping him out of it.

"What is the plan then? She clearly doesn't know!" Max's own protectiveness for Cherrie shone through. The two having become good friends over the years of driving together.

The last thing he wanted was to see her get fucked over.

"This is terrible .." lando groaned , still worried about the possibility of having to fight a man twice his size in height and width .

Daniel sighed "I know. I was thinking we just go over there and act normal. And I'll just keep bringing up marriage and shit like that to make him squirm."

Max slowly nodded his head , frowning.

“So we're gonna trick him into admitting it?" He said.

Lando groaned again in misery .

Daniel smiled brightly , nodding his head in conformation.

"Yep! Now come on. Lers not waste any time!" He said Before springing to his feet and making his way over to their table confidentially.

Leaving max and lando to trail after him reluctantly , lando looking over at max worriedly.

"This ain't going to end well is it?" He guessed.

Max just pursed his lips and sighed "just remember to duck If you see a fist swinging your way." He muttered to him before plastering a smile on his face as they came to stop beside their table.

"Well howdy! What are the chances of bumping into you two here!" Daniel exclaimed loudly startling them as he grabbed a chair from an empty table and dragged it over to theirs , legs screeching against the marble floor noisily .

Cherrie gaped up at him in disbelief while matts face dropped at the sight of him .

"What the fuck?" She blurted out in shock as max and lando did the same thing, pulling up chairs to join their table casually .

Lando gave her a sheepish wave, too afraid to look her god like boyfriend in the eye.

"You've got to be joking.." Matt muttered, pissed off at the interruption .

Daniel ignored it. Instead he looked over at Cherrie in a glittering red dress and perfectly curled hair, letting out a amazed sigh.

"Wow. You look beautiful cher." He told her honestly before lifting up her hand from the table and admiring her pretty rings.

"Kind of looks like an engagement ring. Or a wedding ring.." he empathised as he side eyed Matt as he said it. Not being subtle at all.

Max and lando grimaced , sharing a look as they watched anger flash across both of the men's faces , though Daniel did a better job at concealing his rage than her boyfriend did.

Cherrie giggled obviously, cheeks flushing as Daniel lifted up her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles .

"What are you guys doing here? We're kind of on a date .." she pointedly reminded them, seeing Matt glaring at them from the corner of her eye and holding back a wince .

Daniel just shrugged "just thought we'd check out the food here! We might as well group together now though. Much funner!" He looked over to Matt challengingly.

"you don't mind us dining with you do you mate? We can all get to know you a little better then.." he eyed him, holding back the urge to scream cheating liar in his face like he wanted to.

Matt gritted his teeth, smiling forcefully back at him.

"Not at all. I'm an open book." He lied.

All of her friends rose their eyebrows at that.

"Is it a book of lies he's talking about?" Max muttered beneath his breath, unamused.

Lando grinned behind his hand , keeping his eyes on the menu in front of him.

Daniel exhaled loudly "fantastic!" He then proceeded to call over the waiter and ordered food for them, explaining that they were sharing a table now.

After they had all put their orders in, Daniel interlaced his fingers together and rested his chin ontop of them as he looked down the table at her boyfriend with a smile.

"So Matt...you like rings?" He blurted out.

Cherrie giving him a weird look while max and lando looked at him in disbelief at his lack of subtly .

"What are you going on about doofus?" Cherrie laughed, feeling Daniels foot knocking against her own underneath the table . Hooking their ankles together like he always did.

Daniel just shrugged , eye twitching . "I'm just saying.. you look like a fashionable guy yet I see no jewellery on your hands.." he pointed out, wondering where the asshole put his wedding ring when he was playing Cheater.

Matt paused and eyed him for a moment before answering tensely .

"Rings aren't my thing." He muttered .

Daniel snorted "oh really?"

Max nudged his shoulder warningly once he noticed Matt glaring at them suspiciously.

Cherrie awkwardly laughed when a tense silence settled over the table . Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and picking up the bottle of wine from the table and pouring herself a big glass.

"Daniel stop being weird. He doesn't have to wear rings if he doesn't want to. Not everyone can pull it off." She joked , smiling at her boyfriend apologetically .

He just rolled his eyes.

Daniel thought about hitting him with his car for disrespecting her like that.

"Speaking of rings .. I saw some realty nice wedding rings in a jewellers on our way here." He continued to put empathise on the word wedding.

"Some really nice ones for the wife and the husband .."

Cherrie tilted her head in confusion. "Why were you looking at wedding rings?" She asked him, hoping to hell and back that he didn't have another girl in mind to marry.

She didn't want to share him with anybody else . as soon as the thought passed her mind she felt guilty. Daniel wasn't hers to keep.

Plus , she had a boyfriend . She reminded herself , taking a large swing of her wine to soothe the ache.

Daniel just grinned over at her, admiring how pretty she looked under the chandelier light.

"For our future wedding obviously . Although I was thinking we could get mood rings.. so that every time I was unsure of how you felt I could just look at your finger and be like 'yep she's pissed!'" He laughed, although he was hundred percent serious.

Max placed his face in his hands , wincing at the look on matts face .

Because only Daniel would tell a woman that he was going to marry her right in front of her ripped boyfriend who could easily break them all in half.

Cherrie gasped , laughing at his idea.

“Oh my god that's actually a good idea!" She exclaimed bedore looking to her left and seeing her boyfriend glaring at her , unamused.

Her laughter quickly dying off as she cleared her throat and quickly added "I mean, for your future wife. Not me!" Draining the rest of her glass and quickly pouring herself another one.

Daniel smiled thankfully at the waiter as he put all their plates in front of them. Thanking him as he set down a plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of him.

"You ever thought about getting married Matt?" He tested him again.

Twirling the spaghetti around his fork and shoving it into his mouth as he stared him down waiting for his answer.

Matt tensed up, clenching his jaw as he glared back at him .  His eyes flickering away from Cherrie's quickly when she looked over at him curiously.

"Not really." He muttered , getting more and more pissed off by the second.

Daniel hummed mockingly "that's a surprise .. you look like the kind of man that would have a wife already." He bluntly said.

Smirking smugly at the look of fury he shot him. Clearly clicking onto his accusing tone.

Cherrie frowned over at Daniel disapprovingly , completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Daniel! Leave him alone!" She scolded him before eyeing his plate hungrily . Regretting not getting the same thing.

Seeing her eyeing his food, he twirled a large piece of spaghetti and meatball around his fork before reaching over the table and placing the fork at her lips.

She parted them and let him feed her some of his food, humming happily at the taste . Swallowing it down bedore smiling at him gratefully .

"It's good. You wanna swap?" She questioned him

Hopefully .

Daniel just laughed and slid her plate of chicken pasta over to himself instead . Passing her his plate and grinning at the happy little dance she did im her seat as she dug straight into his food.

"I knew she'd want the spaghetti!" He chuckled , shaking his head at how predictable she was.

"You always want whatever I'm having!" He found it both amusing and endearing at the same time. Nine out of ten times they ended up switching plates when they were out to eat.

Cherrie just grinned cheekily back at him "you always get the best food it's not my fault!" She giggled.

Max eyed Matt uneasily , noticing the way he looked like he was going to pop a vein from how hard he was scowling at them.

He nudged lando to look as well, lando inhaling shakily at the sight .

"Shite.." he breathed out sending a quick prayer that they lived to see tomorrow after this.

"Are you two always like this?" Matt almost spat out angrily towards them.

Cherrie froze with her fork halfway to her mouth, blinking at him in confusion.

“Hungry?" She had no idea what he was on about. So used to their closeness that she didn't even notice it anymore.

Daniel answered for her "in tune with each other? It comes around years of love and bonding . We're soulmates." He told him without any shame.

Lando almost whimpered in fear at the balls he had to say that to her massive , muscle head boyfriend .

Matt glared at him angrily "don't you think that's crossing a line? She's with me." He snapped at him.

Daniel pulled a surprised face "is she? I hadn't noticed!" He grinned finding it hilarious .

Cherrie looked betweeen the two of them with wide wide eyes, still eating her food slowly as she wondered if she was missing something.

"He means it platonically." She finally spoke up to her boyfriend . Hoping to make him feel better.

Matt just looked back at her in disbelief .

Even lando and max were looking at her in amusement , wondering if she actually believed the bullshit that she was saying .

She didn’t .

Daniel snorted , shaking his head . "I mean it universally. She's the ying to my yang, the tongue to my mouth, the cheeks to my ass , the pepperoni to my pizza-" he could have went on and on.

Max quickly cut him off before he could , huffing out a amused laugh.

“Okay mate. I think we get it!" Side Eyeing Matt's reddening face cautiously.

Cherrie was giggling to herself as she downed yet another glass of wine, already on her way to being drunk. Having had the full bottle to herself .

She smiled over at Daniel, flattered. "That's so sweet! We should get matching tattoos like those bff necklaces that we used to have." She randomly blurted out.

Daniel grinned smugly "used to have?" Then he pulled down his shirt and pulled out the half heart necklaces that had 'best' engraved on it , waving it at her proudly .

“I never took it off baby!"

Cherrie gasped loudly , laughing in amazement as she got up from her seat and quickly jogged around the table to his side.

Bending down slightly so that she could take ahold of the silver pendant , eyes widening in amazement that he still had it.

"Dude!" She exclaimed grinning up at him happily "I can't believe you still wear it! I feel bad now!"

Daniel ruffled her hair and gently helped her to her feet, wrapping his arm loosely around her hips as she stood next to him while he was sat down.

Looking up at her fondly "of course I did! It's like a contract! A promise! Plus I knew that you would lose your half of the heart , you clumsily idiot!" He blew a raspberry on her side to make her laugh.

Cherrie's giggling was cut short as she felt another hand take ahold of the top of her dress and yank her away.

Head snapping down to look at Matt who was glaring at her , pulling her to his side roughly .

Max inhaled sharply "shit." He breathed out as he and lando watched the smile drop from Daniels face immediately at his actions.

Glaring over at Matt furiously "don't fucking pull her around like that!" He snapped at him, clenching his fist as he watched Cherrie wobble in her heels, clearly drunk.

"It's okay.." she mumbled trying to keep the peace, leaning over the table to pour herself another glass of wine casually .

Daniel scoffed angrily "no it isn't." He spat, leaning forward in his seat so he could see past her to glare at the lying , cheating bastard that dared to touch the love of his life like that.

Matt scowled at him hatefully "shut up man. She's my girlfriend! You have no place to be telling me what I can and can't do." He spat back at him.

Cherrie just stumbled her way back over to her seat , eyeing the leftover piece of Potato on lando's plate hungrily .

Nudging him with her foot she whispered loudly, ignoring the death stares that the two men were giving each other at the table.

"lando? Can I have that potato?" Not caring about the drama surrounding her.

Lando blinked at her in disbelief , wondering how she could be so calm and unbothered while her best friend and boyfriend were about to go at each others throats in a restaurant.

He silently passed her his plate, unable to help the little look of judgment he gave her , before sighing shakily as he looked back over to Daniel and Matt. Not wanting to miss a thing.

Daniel let out a cold laugh "oh really? Your girlfriend is she? How many of those do you have on the side huh? Or is she the only one?!" He gripped the table cloth between his fingertips so tightly that they went white.

Max shuffled his seat away from the table readily , tensing up as he watched them closely . Ready to intervene .

Matt glared at him , his eyes flickering over to Cherrie who was stuffing her face with potato's ,

Not even listening to them. Before he looked back at Daniel threatengily.

"You need to shut your mouth. You don't know what your talking about." He spat at him.

Daniel scoffed hatefully at him "would your wife know what I'm talking about then?" He shot back at him, abruptly getting to his feet.

"Christ." Lando whimpered sinking lower in his seat.

Side Eyeing Cherrie who was still stealing food off everyone's plates while they were preoccupied .

Matt shoved himself to his feet as well, puffing out his chest to make himself even bigger.

Gritting just teeth at him "shut the fuck up!"

Daniel laughed "no I don't think I will! You're not lying to my girl and getting away with it you steroid thumping- cheating bastard!" He snapped at him furiously bedore suddenly launching himself across the table at him.

Making the both of them crash against the next table as people screamed and gasped in shock as they started wrestling on the restaurant floor.

"I'm going to kill you!" Daniel shouted down at him , barely dodging a punch to his nose as Matt threw him off him easily , sending him crashing into another table before he jumped him. Fist swinging.

Max quickly ran over to them and threw himself ontop of matts back, wrapping his arms around his ridiculously large shoulders as he tried to yank him off Daniel. Barely moving him at all.

"Lando some help please!” He shouted over to him in annoyance , grunting as he narrowly avoided a elbow to his face.

Lando winced as he watched Matt manage to land  a nasty punch to Daniels cheek making him groan loudly before he bitch slapped him back the same way that he had watched Cherrie slap her girlfriend before when they got into a catty fight.

Cherrie finally looked up from her plate and frowned at the scene in front of her , eyes widening once she saw the blood on her best friends cheek.

"What the fuck!" She shot up out of her seat, stumbling for a moment , utterly drunk as she pulled off her heels and held one of them in her hand as she stumbled over to them quickly .

Lando hurriedly following her , half hiding behind her as he picked up a plate from the table on his way.

Sending a apologetic grimace to the guests at the table that Daniel and Matt had crashed into.

"Sorry about this guys. He's in love." Lando simply explained to them like that answered everything.

"You fucking dickhead! You think that because you look like a Greek god that you can just treat women like this?!" Daniel screamed at him as he finally managed to push him off him, sending max flying too as Matt toppled over to the side.

Daniel quickly got behind him and wrapped his arm around his head, getting him in a headlock , grunting when Matt knocked his head back and hit him in the chin with it.

"Fucking cunt!" He panted struggling to keep ahold of him.

Before his eyes widened as he glanced up to see Cherrie in front of them , holding her high heel above matts crotch with a pissed off glare on

Her pretty face.

Matt yelling and groaning in pain as she hit him in the dick with her high heel.

"How dare you punch Daniel! You wanker! If that leaves even the smallest of scars I will make sure that you never see the sun again you bastard!" She shouted at him furiously .

Stumbling backwards slightly when Matt somehow managed to launch himself back to his feet, Daniel quickly jumping up as well as he tried to get at him again.

"You're not worth all this shit! You stupid bitch-"

He didn't even get to take another threatening step towards her bedore lando let out a loud war cry and went flying towards him with a plate full of spaghetti held high in his hand.

Max , Daniel and Cherrie could only watch with gaping mouths as lando smacked him over the head with the plate of spaghetti furiously , Matt going down like a sack of potato's as he knocked him

Straight out.

"Don't call my friend a bitch! You-you bitch!" He panted , kicking him in the side as adrenaline coursed through his body.

Max looked around at the shocked restaurant guests , the manager quickly hurrying over to them angrily.

"You go before I call the police! You're banned for life !" He warned them angrily.

Max grimaced  apologetically at him as he took ahold of lando's arm who was still trying to kick Matt who was now out cold on the floor.

Dragging him towards the exit like he was an unruly child . "sorry! We'll pay for any damages!" He promised him.

Daniel quickly doing the same with Cherrie , only he picked her up bridal style and gave a casual nod to the traumatised guests before hurrying them out of the doors.

Lando was already in the car , laughing and crying "oh my god I thought I was going to die!" He dramatically shouted as max started up the car , wanting to get them the hell away before they all got arrested .

Daniel slid into the back of the car , Cherrie leaning against his side as he buckled the both of them in.

Wincing at the stinging on his cheek, laughing despite the pain as he looked over at lando proudly.

"That was amazing lando! Very heroic!" He praised him.

Cherrie dabbed a napkin  that she had took from the table against his cheek in concern , tilting his head towards her so she could see the start of a black eye already forming.

"Oh no. You're beautiful face.." she whined still drunk as she blinked up at him sadly.

More worried about his face than she was about her now unconscious ex boyfriend.

Daniel smiled at her the best he could, wrapping his arm around the back of her neck so that her head could rest in the crook of his elbow. Gently nudging their noses together like he always did.

"I'm okay. It's just gonna make me look even more badass than before." He reassured her casually as max sped down the streets.

Cherrie giggled a little , gazing into his pretty eyes in adoration .

“The way you jumped across that table was really hot." She blurted out honestly, biting down on her bottom lip as she thought about it.

Max grimaced deeply as he eyed them in his mirror, lando still rambling on about how cool he felt hitting Matt with a plate of spaghetti, re-enacting it like he hadn't been there to see it himself .

Daniel smirked down at her , heart racing in his chest at the way she was looking at him.

"Yeah? How hot?" He teased her , pulling her even closer.

She sighed dazedly "pantie dropping hot." She told him unashamedly .

Daniel chuckled as he looked down at her , smiling smugly.

“Hot enough for you to give me a chance now that idiot has been dealt with?" He threw all caution to the wind and went for it.

Pumped up with adrenaline from fighting a muscle head , underwear model. He felt pretty unbeatable then. Like he could do anything.

Cherrie hummed thoughtfully "a chance for what?" She still wasn't getting it.

Max groaned loudly and looked back at her in disbelief as they pulled up to a red light.

"Seriously? Even after that you still don't know?!" He exclaimed in shock wondering how oblivious she could be.

She just shook her head in confusion.

Max almost wanted to shake her.

Daniel was just giggling to himself , already used to her obliviousness to the obvious around her.

God, he loved her . He did. But the love of his life wasn’t the brightest spark.

It was a good job that she was pretty.

"He's wants to be your boyfriend!" Max almost shouted at her.

Wondering what more Daniel could have possibly done to show her how much he loved her.

He had flew across a table and tussled with a muscle man almost twice his size for her! While she just sat back and mugged their plates while they were busy fighting!

He couldn't believe it!

"Oh." Cherrie simply let out . Before smiling at Daniel happily .

“Why didn't you just say so?" She casually answered.

Daniel blinked at her in amazement. "You mean that i could have just asked you out years ago and you would have said yes?" The astonishment was clear in his voice.

Squeezing his eyes shut in misery at himself when she nodded her head yes, looking amused.

"Wow. I wish I knew that sooner .." he breathed out , chuckling despite himself as he reopened his eyes and looked down at her .

Squeezing her flushed cheeks gently between his fingers till her lips puckered , he tilted his chin down and kissed her instead of speaking anymore about his own personal stupidity .

They could laugh about that later .

Nestling his fingers into her hair as she hummed against his mouth, tilting her head to deepen the kiss as she hooked one of her legs over his hip as he twisted his body towards her the best that he could in the cramped space.

Moaning lowly in his chest as she sucked on his tongue , her hand slipping underneath his shirt , making his skin breakout in goosebumps from her soft touch.

"I love you. Fuck.." he murmured over and over again against her lips .

Grabbing her ass with his other hand and giving it a squeeze like he had wanted to for so long.

Cherrie smiled against his mouth as he started kissing down her neck, sucking at her soft skin and making her moan as she rocked against him, tangling her hands into his hair before pulling his mouth back up to her own as they made out like a couple of horny teenagers in the backseat of the car.

"I love you." Cherrie promised him as she pulled open his shirt with one tug, the buttons flying everywhere .

Daniel just groaned blissfully , wondering if he was in heaven as he snaked his tongue into her mouth and pulled her dress even further up

her thighs.

Max looked in the mirror and gasped in disgust and horror at the sight of them practically having sex in his car while he was driving too!

"Stop that!" He snapped at them . Eyeing the giggling lando beside him disapprovingly .

"None of that in my car! Daniel get your hands out of her panties!" He yelled at him frantically , quickly speeding down the highway to get them to Daniels house first. Not wanting to witness them two going at it.

He felt like he might be sick just at the thought!

Lando just grinned as he leaned his head through the seats to look back at them.

"Well done Daniel! I'm so proud of you!" He exclaimed happily.

Having spent years listening to Daniel go on and on about how she was the love of his life.

Daniel panted breathlessly as he forced his lips away from cherries, face dazed as he grinned lazily back at his friend.

Reaching his free hand out for him to high five while max just regretted his entire existence in the drivers seat.

"Thanks mate!" He grinned bedore leaning back in his seat and attacking her neck again. Not giving a single shit now that he had the love of his life in his lap.

Cherrie tilited her head as he kissed down her neck again, lazily grinning before reaching her arm forward and tapping Max's shoulder to get his attention.

"Do you have any condoms?" She asked him casually just as they pulled up outside Daniels place.

Max just deadpanned at her , unamused as Daniel opened the door and flung himself out of the car, giving Cherrie his hand as he told her to hurry up.

"No I don't. Get out. I have seen more of you than I have ever wanted to." He bluntly said, fed up with the both of them .

Lando pulled out a row of condoms from his wallet and handed it to her with a shit eating grin.

"Here ya go!"

Cherrie beamed "thanks Mate! I'll see you soon! This was fun! We should have dinner again sometime!" She chirped bedore clumsily ducking her head and crawling out from the backseat.

Max inhaled sharply as he reached out and yanked down the end of her dress that had ridden up to show them her ass on complete display.

"Nice thong Cherrie!" Lando giggled childishly as she stumbled out, Daniel immediately scooping her up like a fireman and running to his door with her.

Both of them laughing like naughty kids as they started making out again.

Leaving max to shake his head in disbelief. Making sure that they both got into the house safely before finally pulling away.

"They're unbelievable." He muttered grinning despite himself.

“Fuckin' made for each other.” He laughed.

He was never accepting a dinner invitation from Daniel again!

crying real tears

long live | daniel ricciardo

pairing: daniel ricciardo x driver!reader (epilogue to fragile line)

long live the walls we crashed through i had the time of my life with you long, long live the walls we crashed through how the kingdom lights shined just for me and you

time passes and feelings may fade, but the memories never will word count: 7.7k (im so sorry) warnings/tags: time jumps like always, angst and heartbreak but it's not all sad this time, or is it?

four years later

“Daniel Ricciardo, 2025 Formula 1 World Champion, The Honey Badger,” James Hinchcliffe put his arm around the fellow commentator, “Tell us what you know.”

“What I know, Hinch,” Daniel repeated, taking a dramatic look up towards the clear sky. “What do I know?”

They didn’t need to act like they were friends for the camera, James and Daniel had grown close in a short time, ever since Daniel put down the helmet and picked up a microphone, Replacing the racing overalls with a suit and tie. He had the personality to be a motorsports commentator. No one was surprised when he was announced as Sky Sports newest reporter following his Formula 1 retirement. 

And James, a fellow retired driver himself from the IndyCar side, a Canadian with the humour and the banter that could keep up with Daniel, they were truly one of the best duos when it came to motorsports broadcasting.

They weren't often together, though. Daniel stuck to Formula 1. James was a regular for IndyCar. There were only a handful of races where they came together and the Indianapolis 500 was one of them. 

They were a comedic duo last year at the 2026 running, it only made sense to bring Daniel back again this year.

“Who’s your money on?” James asked. The question was innocent enough, proposed to most people who didn’t have an association with any team.

Daniel had his answer. Before the race weekend started he had an answer. Before the season started he had an answer. 

But he hesitated. 

Or, maybe froze was a better word. Daniel froze when he dropped his gaze from the sky and looked further down the pit lane. They didn’t plan on standing a few slots away from the number 6 car of Arrow McLaren, but that's where they found themselves.

Daniel froze when he spotted the familiar face sitting on the bench in the pit wall, looking at the data on the screens and nodding along with the engineer as he spoke. Daniel froze, because even though he knew exactly who was driving that car, he still wasn’t prepared for what he would do when he saw the driver.

When he saw you. 

You guys had agreed, long ago, that there would be no more interactions. That your careers, your lives, would be better if the other stayed as far away as possible.

Daniel knew that even now, four years later, he had no right to talk to you, to talk about you. He knew that at this point, it was for the best that ties were still cut, that the conversations didn’t happen. It had been over a year since your last interaction, he was in no position to change that. 

And he tried, desperately, over the years to follow the rules you agreed on. You as well kept your distance, you had to. 

But you were only human. There had been a few slip ups over the years.

For the remainder of the season, after the Austin race, you both had stuck to your word. You stopped giving the world the moments they were waiting for. You refused to interact with each other, you forced yourself to stop caring. 

It grew easier with time. The 2024 season was challenging in itself, but with Max and Daniel fighting amongst each other in a league of their own, you knew you couldn’t fight them in a McLaren. All you could do was make the most of what you had. 

Lando and you had a strong opening those first few races. McLaren was third in the constructors for a short time until other teams started to catch up, filling in the holes of their designs. 

You quite literally didn’t have time to care about Daniel when you were so focused on the rest of the grid, your actual competition. Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin even. Your upgrades were no match with theirs and by the end of the season, it was disappointing to look back without a podium to reminisce on. Lando scored two, one in Spa, the other in Singapore. You did well, but not well enough to bring home a trophy.

2025 was…different.

In many ways. Firstly, the McLarens showed consistency as the season continued. You and Lando were always top contenders for points.  

Secondly, Daniel was giving Max a run for his money. He had a bit the year prior, but this season was far more competitive. You, like everyone else, was dying to see who would pull through and score that first place trophy at the end of the day, but you had to hide your desires for it to be Daniel. 

You still hadn’t spoken. You had successfully veered away from any accidental interactions. His name stayed out of your mouth and at this point, everyone on the grid knew there was a disconnect. You both had gone out of your way, this year and in 2024, to assure there would be no media appearances together, no driver conferences, nothing that the online world could twist. 

But you couldn’t do anything about still being happy for him. That would never go away. You would always want Daniel to succeed. You just couldn’t be watching the screens when he podiumed. You couldn’t go out with him and the others to celebrate. You couldn’t wish him a congrats in passing like Lando could if you were walking down the paddock. 

Daniel felt the same. While the love was gone, there was nothing he could do about those proud moments. He wanted you to make a name in this sport, to make history. He wanted you to be someone and even though he once wanted to be at your side while you planted your roots, he couldn’t.

Except that one time when he physically was at your side. 

There was a mistake in the media pen scheduling on that Thursday in Miami. From what you knew, Daniel was supposed to be in the press conference and you’d be one of the ten unlucky few that had to stand under the Miami sun in the football field, talking about how you were looking forward to this race when in reality you personally thought this was the worst race on the calendar. 

But it was too hot to complain about anything other than the heat and how you needed to change shirts as soon as the media pen segment was over because the breathable material of your papaya polo was anything but breathable.

You had barely stepped into the roped off circle to join the other drivers when you heard your name being called. Glancing over your shoulder, it took a second to realise that the call was coming from a young girl running in your direction. Her paddock lanyard flailing over her shoulder as she sprinted, one hand held onto her McLaren hat so it wouldn’t fall off.

“She can’t be here-”

“Piss off, she’s fine,” you weren’t even sure who you interrupted, but you didn’t give the risk of a reprending a second thought as you stepped forward to meet the young fan.

She was small, and you weren’t a professional when it came to guessing the ages of kids but you would put her somewhere in the range of six and eight. Maybe?

You knelt down to be more at eye level, “Hi darling, what’s your name?”

“Cara,” she answered, slightly out of breath. There was a gap in her teeth from where she must have just lost one, but it didn’t affect her grin at all. 

“Hi Cara,” you smiled at her, only then noticing she wore a shirt with your last name on it. Glancing over your shoulder, you saw an older gentleman running towards her. “Is that your dad?”

Cara looked and then nodded, but she didn’t care that she had completely abandoned him and given him a heart attack. “I saw you last year here. You finished fifth, my dad took me to watch. He says you- he says that you’re the only girl driver.”

“I am the only girl driver,” you confirmed, pouting slightly. You brushed your hand over her shoulder to smooth out the material of the shirt, “That should change soon, don’t you think? All of these boys need to be put in their place and I can’t do it alone.”

“I can join,” Cara suggested. The carefree optimism was a rare sight at one of these race weekends, but you admired it in Cara. She was too young to know the difficulties of being a female in this field and hopefully by the time she grew up, there were less walls for her to climb over, just doors to open. 

“You can join,” you nodded at the idea, laughing slightly, mostly because her dad had caught up to her and he was more out of breath than she saw. You smiled at him but looked back at Cara, “Do you race?”

“Yes!”

“No,” her dad answered, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Not yet, at least. We’ve signed her up for karting this summer, we’ll see how it goes.”

“I can already tell you’ll be a natural,” you told Cara. Watching her face light up was probably the most rewarding feeling you’d get all weekend. 

“I want to be like you. I want to win races, I want to win a championship!”

“You know what Cara, I can’t break every record, being the first girl driver. So I’ll save the championship one for you, how about that? I want to see you become the first girl to win the championship.” You gave her arm a squeeze and then stood up, turning your focus to her dad. 

He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring and although you couldn’t make assumptions that he was single, the greying hair at a fairly young age and the bags under his eyes told you that he was mostly likely the main caretaker for Cara. 

“She’s got dreams,” you said.

He nodded, but smiled proudly, “That she does.”

You didn’t want to speak negatively about this industry in front of Cara, you didn’t want to crush her dreams, but you also didn't want her to grow up and be hopelessly disappointed either.

“It’s not easy for girls in this sport,” you told him. “But if she’s serious, if both of you are, look into working with Mary from Victory Speedway, located out in Tampa. She’s got contacts with F1 Academy as well. They’re goal is to make it easier.”

“Thank you,” he nodded, holding out his hand to shake. “And thank you for talking with Cara. Both of us are big fans, you truly are inspiring.”

You chatted for a bit longer, ignoring Oliver who was at your side reminding you that you had media duties. They could wait. A photo with the girl that seemed to be your biggest fan and maybe one day your predecessor, couldn’t wait.

No one really heard what you spoke about, the other drivers had their own obligations in the media pen. 

Daniel, though, he listened. 

He was standing right near the entrance when Cara had run up. He had watched you bend down to chat with her, making her a priority opposed to the reporters. He was less than two feet away as he overheard your conversation and when you turned around, ready to get the media day over with, you met his eyes.

For the first time in a long time, you didn’t look away.

Daniel wanted to tell you he admired that conversation, the hope you installed in the young fan. He wanted to tell you that you made a great role model, for not just girls but all aspiring drivers. He wanted to say a lot of things to you.

He settled on a question, “You’re not trying to win the championship?”

This was the first time you had spoken in months and it wasn’t even in private. It was quite literally in front of cameras, reporters, people with audio recording devices and microphones. You opened your mouth slightly only to lock up, giving him an apologetic look because you both knew better than to be having any sort of interaction. 

You turned to face the first reporter, ignoring Daniel’s question completely. He just nodded to himself and walked to his own spot, keeping you in the corner of his eye. 

This young reporter, though, was also curious, having overheard what Daniel asked. 

“You’re not vying for a championship? Does Zak Brown know this?” He asked with a soft chuckle.

You shrugged and gave him a smile, “I mean, every driver's dream is the championship, but it’s not my goal currently. Your goals can, and should, be different than your dreams. And yes, Zak knows this, don’t you worry.”

“Your goal then, what is it?”

You inhaled, thinking to yourself for a second, “I’ve got a few and I have a good team supporting me while I work towards them. First would be to make as much history as I can, set as many records while I have a spot in Formula 1 and then I want to help other female drivers break them.”

“You want your records to be broken?”

“If it means getting more females into Formula 1, then yes.”

Daniel, who was in the middle of trying to listen to the reporter in front of him, smiled as he heard that. It was a very you response. He leaned forward, gripping the railing a bit because he completely misheard his own question and needed him to repeat it.

“And your other goal?” The young reporter asked you. 

Your lips curved into more of a devious smile, deciding to keep that one close to your chest. “Do you have any questions about the race this weekend? Or are you trying to write a biography on my life?”

Daniel was dying to know what it was too. He spent the rest of that media session racking through the memories of you, there were a lot, trying to think if you ever had that conversation. You must have, right? So why couldn’t he remember?

When all of you made your way out and back to the paddock, Daniel ignored the voice in his head telling him to just let it go. He completely drowned it out as he jogged up to your side, refraining from reaching out and brushing his hand over your elbow to grab your attention. Instead he just said, 

“Hey.”

You glanced up, instinctively stepping to the side as you walked to put more space between your bodies. 

“Hi,” you breathed out, pulling your eyes off of him and on the Red Bull motorhome that was coming up. This conversation would be short, he’d have to go back inside. You’d be fine for ten seconds, right?

“So what-” he cleared his throat. This shouldn’t have been awkward but it was. After so long of not even glancing at each other, there were new lines painted between you. Daniel didn’t know how to navigate them, and honestly, neither did you.

“Triple Crown, Dan,” you answered, knowing that's where he was going when he opened his mouth. 

The Triple Crown. Monaco. Indy 500. 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

He took a second to process that goal, not having expected it in the slightest. When he nodded, you could see the hurt in his eyes, only there was less pain and more distance. He didn’t know you like he thought he did.

“I never knew you were aiming for the Triple Crown.”

“You never asked.”

He had trained you, helped you become the best athlete you could be. He had introduced you to the right people. He acted as a mentor, but the conversations you had about racing were limited. There was a lack of communication in that sense because why bring work home with you? 

But that was the wedge driven between you. Had you talked about racing, contracts, your futures, you would have never found yourself in that McLaren contract scandal that ultimately broke you two up. 

He nodded, because what else could he say to that? You gave him a soft smile and told yourself to keep walking, to move to the other side of the paddock as Daniel headed into the Red Bull motorhome. 

You don’t interact again until Monaco. Daniel now knew winning this race meant more to you than others. Winning this would be one third of the Triple Crown checked off and as much as he was gunning for the podium, thankful for his P2 starting position, he saw that you were starting fourth and took a breath of relief. You had a shot.

Daniel wasn’t sure what came over him when he saw you in the paddock after qualifying. Maybe it was because you not completely shutting him down in Miami gave him a strange surge of confidence to approach you again, or maybe it was because he was ignoring all the voices in his head to just keep walking. Whatever it was, Daniel saw you chatting with a member of Sky Sports and as he walked passed, patted your shoulder in a congratulatory manner.

You paused whatever it was you were saying and turned in his direction, just in time to see him give you a smile and a thumbs up as he continued on his way. You returned it, but that small interaction had you stumbling over your words for the next two hours. 

Not because you were smitten, you were past that. You didn’t look at Daniel anymore and lose your train of thought, you didn’t get lost in a daze and allow everything else to fade around you.

But he didn’t seem to let go of you completely yet, and you could work with that. You could be civil. You could be neutral during race weekends, as long as it didn’t go further than the friendly smiles and minimal chats.

It shouldn’t have been hard to keep the conversations short, you hadn’t actually had anything meaningful to say to each other in over a year. When you ran into him after the race on Sunday, after he claimed the title of Monaco Grand Prix race winner for a second time, you should have just said congratulations and kept walking.

But Daniel saw you as he was propped up against the side of the Red Bull motorhome and then he stood up straighter, almost inviting you to walk up to him. There were no cameras around anymore, the majority of the paddock had gone home so you felt safer, sort of. If the world hadn’t lost their minds at the clip of him patting your back yesterday, you could talk to him now.

The Red Bull engineer he was with said his goodbyes and smiled politely at you as you approached, stopping at a safe distance.

“Another Monaco win under your belt.”

“So it seems,” Daniel tried his best to not look too proud of himself. You could see his dimples poking through. You wanted him to not be holding back, you missed his grin but gone were the days when he didn’t have to refrain with you. 

“You deserve it,” you nodded, glancing over your shoulder out of habit. You were scared of any stragglers with iPhones, but no one around seemed to care that you and Daniel were talking. You were drivers, it shouldn’t have been a strange sight.

“You deserve it,” Daniel playfully shot back. “I mean, I couldn’t just hand it over this year though, despite your Triple Crown goal.”

“Oh but next year? You’ll let me have it then?” You asked, eyebrows raised. It was a joke, a small tease, but Daniel’s smile slipped and you caught it. You caught it and you stepped forward, hand flinching because it would be moments like this where you’d want to reach for him but you couldn’t do that anymore, could you?

Daniel tensed. Now it was his turn to look anxiously around, “I might not-” a sharp inhale passed through his lips, “Yeah I might not be here next year.”

You scoffed because that idea was preposterous, “Oh shut up.”

“No it’s true,” Daniel said, but his smile told you that he wasn’t sad about it. “You know how your goal is the Triple Crown?”

“Yes.”

“Mine’s the championship, sweets.”

You weren’t given an opportunity to react to the nickname because he continued on explaining without missing a beat. Either he didn’t see the way saying sweets affected you or he didn’t even notice he said it because even after all this time, it still came naturally to him. 

“There’s a clause in my contract,” he said. “If I win the championship this year, we can renegotiate. I can leave, I can- I can retire. The way I want to.”

You didn’t know how to process this. 

Daniel belonged in Formula 1. He fought so hard for his seat, he was a mess when he was left without one and now there was a chance he’d be gone? 

And even though you were only eight races in, already he was leading the driver standings over Max, not by much, but he was. There was a strong possibility Daniel could take the championship home at the end of the season.

You couldn’t say what was on your mind. You couldn’t say, selfishly, I hope you lose the championship. You couldn’t say that it was impossible to imagine the paddock without him because even those few months when he wasn’t racing, he was still there. 

“We’ve still got a few months to go,” Daniel’s voice broke you from your thoughts, trying to move to a brighter note because that’s just who he was. “But this could be good for you. You’ll have a real shot at winning Monaco next year. But I mean- you technically already won Monaco.”

“That was F2.”

“I think it still counts.”

“I think I’ll win it again, just to be safe.”

Daniel liked that response, he liked how confident you were that the win was coming. He nodded and he really would have liked to talk to you more about this, about his potential leave, about your success, but when he was called from across the paddock you didn’t hesitate before saying goodbye. The conversation was long enough.

Things seemed lighter between you after that. 

You didn’t stop yourself from being visibly happy when he was doing well. You laughed if you overheard the stupid shit he said in the paddock. You didn’t make a big deal about it when you two were signed up for the same press conference session. Granted, you still sat on complete opposite ends of the couch, but you sat there with a smile because you liked hearing Daniel talk about the lead he still carried in the standings.

Spa was the turning point for you two.

While you hadn’t taken any more steps beyond paddock conversations and friendly interactions, what was Daniel supposed to do when you both ended up on the podium together? Him on top, claiming first, you right next to him on the second step?

You both held back when you climbed out of the cars. He opted for a friendly pat on the back even though he wanted nothing more than to bring you in for an embrace. You had podiumed once already this season, but not with Daniel. You stood between the two Mercedes drivers back in Austria but now you were there, with Daniel at your side, both of you beaming. 

You were proud of yourselves. You were proud of each other. 

Both of you had dreamt of this moment, standing next to each other on the podium. You still remembered that conversation years ago, trying to imagine what it would be like to hear the cheers for both of you.

‘You’ll have to do a shoey.’

‘Only if you win. I’m not doing one if I win.’

You had shared this dream when you were in love and even though that wasn’t the case anymore, the dream was still very much alive. Because of that, it almost didn’t feel right. 

It felt sort of unfulfilling, despite you being handed a heavy trophy. 

But this was a moment that you would remember for the rest of your life. All of your accomplishments were held very close to your heart but this one meant more than you could put into words. 

Hands shaking, crowd going wild, you were on top of the world and you were standing next to the man you used to be in love with. You glanced to the side to watch him, not able to stop yourself from smiling wide and then wider still as he held his head high like a hero. 

Daniel was larger than life. 

He always would be. 

You tried not to let yourself think that this might be the only chance you’d get to stand here with him. This win only pushed him further ahead in the championship and you were, seemingly, the only one who knew this year would be his last if he ended up winning. 

You had to hold onto this moment. It wouldn’t come again. 

To everyone watching at home, this was the start of a new age with you and Daniel. Fans could see the way you two interacted, the sheer joy you had for each other, something they hadn’t seen since you still raced in F2. 

To you, this was the beginning of the end. 

Finally, you and Daniel were getting to a place where things could be good and in a few short months, he’d be gone.

You couldn’t think about it more, not when you felt champagne being sprayed in your direction. You were late to the game and popped yours after Daniel and Max had, but you still joined in with the celebration. 

You laughed when Daniel took his shoe off and poured some of the bubbly liquid into the sole. He laughed when you refused to drink it, both of you ignoring the fact that if you were still in love, if you were still together, you would have done the shoey with him. 

Daniel was content with the nod. He knew you were happy for him, the same way he was happy for you. But neither of you could show it the way you wanted to. 

The championship win was decided at the second last race of the season, Qatar.

You didn’t have a good weekend, and you knew this. You took responsibility for the poor qualifying, the bad performance, for all of it. But you were distracted, unable to keep yourself from thinking about Daniel because if he won this race, he won it all. 

And then he’d walk away.

You were conflicted. You wanted to see Daniel take home the win but selfishly, you wanted him in Formula 1. You always wanted him in Formula 1. 

So when he crossed that line, ahead of Max, ahead of the rest of the grid, when he did celebratory donuts and stood on the podium with his chin held high, you stood on the sidelines and ignored how you used to wish for a day like this, wished for a day where he would be crowned the Championship Winner.

Daniel Ricciardo. 2025 Formula 1 World Champion. 

It had a nice ring to it. 

That’s what you told him that night when you were out at dinner and saw him sitting with a few members from his team just a few feet away. You weren’t surprised to see him at the establishment, it was exclusive, it was way overpriced and it was where many drivers went prior to going out and partying. 

You avoided his eyes that evening, scared that if you’d meet them you’d be forced to accept the reality that he really was leaving. At least, you know, if you didn’t look at him, you could live in your own little world where he wasn’t gone just yet.

You were genuinely annoyed when you bumped into him after leaving the toilets. The hall was dim, narrow and there was quite literally nowhere for you to go when he turned the corner and stopped walking when he saw you. 

“Hi,” you swallowed, anxiously smoothing out the skirt you wore, even more anxiously trying to avoid his eyes.

“Hi,” Daniel slid his hands into his pockets. His Enchante shirt clung to his skin due to the heat, but you told yourself you weren’t allowed to look at the way his little curls stuck to his forehead. 

“You, um-” you held your hand out. “Congratulations, really. Daniel Ricciardo. 2025 Formula 1 World Champion. It’s got a nice ring to it.”

He laughed and nodded along, “Yeah, yeah, thank you.”

When he leaned against the wall, you realised you were stuck. There was no getting out of this conversation. No escaping this reality. 

It didn’t help that the rest of the dining room faded behind him. The people, the sounds, the light, it was just Daniel. 

Just Daniel and just you.

How it always should have been.

How it would never be again.

You opened your mouth, intent on saying something else about his win but all that came out was a shaky breath and a choked back sob that triggered the tears you didn’t even know were building. It was quiet, but it was desperate and it was painful and Daniel didn’t hesitate before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around you, pulling you into his chest. Your cries were muffled against his shirt and Daniel stroked your back and then your hair, holding you tight against him.

You were happy for him, really. If anyone deserved this win, it was him but god you were devastated because up until now, you didn’t realise you still held this much love for him. Up until now, you didn’t realise that even after everything, you still needed him.

You needed him.

“What am I going to do without you on the grid?” You asked, your voice was already quiet but it was even more so muffled as you spoke directly into his body.

Daniel chuckled, it vibrated through his chest. “What you’ve been doing this whole time, sweets. You’ll make history. You’ll put the rest of the guys in their places. You’ll be the driver I know you to be.”

It took a few seconds, maybe a few minutes actually, of just standing there and crying into his chest until you snapped out of it. You weren’t dating anymore, your conversations now didn’t last longer than five minutes, it was embarrassing to be losing it in front of him, because of him.

You stepped back and wiped your eyes, “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t- I just-”

“I’ll miss you too, Y/N,” he breathed out. 

You nodded, because if you tried to say anything else you would be crying again. Daniel held his finger up and walked into the toilets to grab some tissue for you. It took another minute for you to be able to trust your voice again.

“I can’t believe you’re really leaving,” you dabbed at your cheeks, knowing you’d have to go back to the hotel to fix your make up before going out again. 

“I’ve got things lined up,” Daniel shrugged.

“Care to share?”

He tried to hide his smile and failed miserably, “Just don’t be surprised if I show up at the track next year with a microphone instead of a helmet.”

That was about as much he would say as his deal with Sky Sports wasn’t yet official. 

But now you felt more like an idiot for crying about him leaving if he wasn’t even actually leaving. You’d still see him. He’d still be around. You could work with that.

Daniel could still be proud of your accomplishments, even if he was on the sidelines. 

He was, however, a little conflicted when you won the last race of the 2025 season.

You made history in Abu Dhabi. The first female driver to win a race. This was a wall you had spent years trying to crash through and now there you were. On top of the podium, on top of the world as confetti fell to the ground around you, champagne sprayed in all directions. 

This was your moment.

Your win, your first win and all you wanted was Daniel up on that podium with you. As happy as you were to celebrate with Max and George, you couldn’t deny something was missing. 

Because you really could never cut yourself off from Daniel completely, could you? You could try, you could attempt to distance yourself, you could stop the interactions and you could tell yourself you didn’t care but you were right that day you told Lando that Daniel was your missing piece.

So it made sense that you were at a bit of a loss for words when he showed up at your hotel room that next morning. 

You invited him in, despite being slightly hungover. He didn’t care that your clothes were spread all throughout the room, but he did smile at the sight of your trophy on proud display on the table before you had to give it to your engineer for safe travels.

“So this is it,” you sighed, sitting down on the far side of the couch. Daniel sat down as well, the opposite side, arm stretched along the back of it.

“This is it,” he agreed. 

“When does the news drop?”

He clicked his tongue, “Tomorrow.”

“Who’s replacing you?”

“Not sure,” he scratched the stubble along his jaw. “My guess is Lawson or possibly Palou.”

You sat in silence for a while, thankful that it wasn’t uncomfortable because it easily could have been. 

But you both grew this season.

You could both admit now, being in love and being drivers was an unattainable dream.

But you could be drivers and you could still have love for each other. 

You reached across the couch, a gentle smirk playing on your lips as you nudged his arm, “So what are you going to say about me?”

Daniel dipped his head back and laughed, “What do you mean?”

“You know,” you shrugged. “Like when you talk about us drivers on Sky Sports. What are you going to say about me?”

“I’m going to say that not only did you steal my seat, but you stole the glory of my last race by winning.”

You rolled your eyes, recognizing the sarcasm but you were thankful his words weren’t malicious anymore, “I thought we were past this. I didn’t steal your seat, Dan.”

“No, but I don’t think I can joke about it on air so this is my last chance.”

You reached behind you and grabbed one of the throw pillows, smacking it against his chest. You chose to look at this playfully, instead of it as the inevitable end. 

And Daniel needed a second to think about your question anyway, so the joke was just a way to stall. Honestly, he was a little surprised that he hadn’t already thought about it considering you were on his mind more than you should have been. 

He cleared his throat and adjusted himself on the couch cushion. You could see that he was struggling to come up with a good response and you didn’t mean for this. You didn’t want him to think he had to choose his words carefully. 

“Hey,” you whispered, shifting closer to him, “Promise me something.”

You met his eyes, his dark brown eyes that once had such a strong hold over you. You looked at him and remembered why you fell in love with him in the first place. In this moment, it was hard to remember why you ever wanted to stop loving him.

Had you stopped loving him? Did that day really come?

You could have love for someone and not be in love with him anymore, but you didn’t think you’d find yourself in a position where you had to differentiate between the two. You thought, you knew, you would always be in love with Daniel that to sit here and think that maybe, possibly, you didn’t anymore, felt like a betrayal. 

He was supposed to be the one that stood by you through it all. The good, the bad, the wins, the losses. It wasn’t supposed to end with you two sitting on the couch and admitting that this truly was over. 

It wasn’t supposed to end like this, but you always knew it would. 

Fate stepped in and whether you liked it or not, it was forcing you into a goodbye, into an acceptance that your lives would no longer be intertwined, that you couldn’t go back to the way things were. 

“Anything,” Daniel spoke softly. Maybe one day he would have said, I’d promise you the world, if you asked, but that seemed a little too forward for the moment.

“Be honest, Dan,” you told him, your hand finding his over the edge of the couch. Your thumb brushed against his fingers and both of you fought the urge to just connect them further. “Tell them my name, but tell them how I got to Formula 1. Tell them it was you, that you helped me pave the way, that you helped me make a name in this sport. Don’t just point to the pictures of me, point to the ones of us. Now that you’re done with racing, I don’t care about the assumptions, the rumours, any of it. Tell people how it really was you and I, how we were the team that should have been, that never was, please,  because even though I know-” 

You paused, taking a second to swallow the lump at the back of your throat. You glanced at your hand and maybe it was you or maybe it was him, but your fingers started to interlock. Your eyes stayed glued to the touch as your last admittance filled the air between you.

“I know I could have made it to Formula 1 without you, but I can’t put into words how thankful I am that I didn’t have to.”

Daniel nodded, because he agreed with you. He knew you could have gotten here without him but he too was grateful he was by your side for the start of it. He agreed that you two really were the team that never was but should have been. He nodded and agreed that he would say all of those things.

But you knew that he wouldn’t.

Those words were for him, not the rest of the world. 

He would tell people that you shined on top of the podium. He would say that the crowds went wild, louder for you than any other driver.

And he would never say that he had any part of shaping your career. Despite you knowing he did, despite the whole world knowing he played a detrimental part, Daniel didn’t hold onto those connections when you went on to race in 2026 and he stood in the commentators box. 

He stayed neutral, surprisingly. 

It helped that he didn’t interact with many drivers or if he did, it was never you. He did talk about you, but only about your performance on the track. His colleagues knew not to bring up your past, not when the only thing that mattered was how well you were doing in the present.

He had some thoughts when you announced you were making the switch to IndyCar at the end of this season, but mostly because you made that announcement before the Monaco Grand Prix, before you claimed the win you were chasing, before you could check off one third of the Triple Crown.

He wanted to pull you aside and question why you were making this choice but he couldn’t. He also couldn’t call you out publicly on air like other reporters had. 

All he could do was hold his breath after you qualified P2 in Monaco. He sat on the edge of his seat, struggling to do his job, struggling to commentate on the race because the second you made the move to overtake Max and it worked, Daniel had to leave the room. 

He had to leave because he knew that if you kept the lead, if you won, he couldn’t celebrate the way he wanted to with cameras on him. Instead, he watched from the privacy of a separate media suite. The broadcast was a few seconds delayed but at least he was able to cheer and be visibly proud of you and not have to hold back when you crossed the line ahead of Max.

You won the Monaco Grand Prix, in a McLaren of all cars, and now he knew what you were gunning for next.

The Indy 500. 

Signing that Arrow McLaren deal ended up being the right move after all.

“Who’s your money on?” James Hinchcliffe asked him as they stood on the pit lane where the teams were preparing for the greatest spectacle in racing. The question was innocent enough, proposed to most people who didn’t have an association with any team.

Daniel had his answer. Before the race weekend started he had an answer. Before the season started, he had an answer. Despite knowing you were still far from winning the Indy 500, his money would always be on you. 

You looked up from where you sat on the Arrow McLaren bench and you smiled at him.

You were having a pretty good season, for a rookie. With O’Ward and Rossi as your teammates, you knew you couldn’t compare, but they were good people to have on your team, in your corner. They helped you, guided you through the shift from Formula 1 to Indy and you could be proud that in a grid of 26 drivers, you were 11th in the standings. 

“Not betting on anyone, James,” Daniel answered, but his eyes were still locked on you and his smirk said otherwise. “It’ll be a good race.”

He could say your name, he wanted to. But Daniel stayed as far away from your life as he could because you decided on it a long time ago and nothing that happened since told him that you’d be going back on that decision, that you wanted him back in your life.

He might not have been a driver anymore, but you still were. So he was content with being civil, neutral. He was fine with the friendly smiles and if an old photo of the two of you circulated every now and again, well, he didn’t hate it. 

He sat with the rest of the Indy commentators during the race. He shared his honest opinions throughout and he, along with the other reporters, praised Alexander Rossi for taking home his second Indy 500 victory, eleven years after his first. 

But that was not the Arrow McLaren driver he wished was celebrating in Victory Lane.

Daniel waited until his job was done, but he knew he had to find you before the day ended. He wanted to congratulate you on finishing twelfth. That was something he was proud of and he hoped you were as well. 

It would only go up from there. The Indy 500 was still an achievable goal. 

He found you in the paddock. It wasn’t hard. You stood out, even in the crowd of people. He waited off to the side and watched you take photos with young girls, young fans that resembled that one girl in Miami, all of them looking up to you and thanking you for paving the way for them, for other females in motorsport.

It was by chance that you looked over your shoulder and saw Daniel standing there. He nodded, wordlessly assuring you that he could wait, to take your time with the fans. 

He ended up waiting almost fifteen minutes. 

Eventually, you started to approach him. Daniel stood up straighter, having been leaning against the Penske trailers until you were done. You still had your racing overalls on, but unzipped and hanging loosely on your hips. The black fireproofs under the papaya looked good on you, but Daniel hadn’t let himself appreciate your appearance for years, he couldn’t start now, even if he really wanted to.

“Hey,” you called out when you were only a few steps away.

“Hey yourself,” Daniel chuckled. When you finally stood in front of him, he was sort of expecting to see a sliver of defeat, but you were happy. You may not have won the 500, but you had a good run and there was always next year. Plus, you still had the rest of the season to finish. The season wasn’t over, you could still make history in this sport. 

You crossed your arms over your chest and glanced around, jaw clenched until you finally worked up the courage to meet his eyes. 

“So,” you inhaled a breath. “You’ve got some time on your hands now that you’re retired, right?”

Daniel wasn’t sure where this was going but he laughed and nodded, “Somewhat, yes, but I do still work race weekends.”

“But Monday through Wednesday?”

He pondered it for a second, just for dramatic effect. “I’m fairly open.”

You nodded, hoping for that answer. 

If you were being honest with yourself, this was a conversation you wanted to have with Daniel since he announced his retirement almost two years ago, you just never knew what the outcome would be.

You felt a bit safer now, knowing that he was based out of the UK and your races were only North American. If he hated where you were going with this, well, it was rare you’d be crossing paths so soon afterwards. 

You just had to blurt it out.

“Ever thought about being a trainer?” You asked. “Or a manager? Mentor even? You know- my last mentor walked out on me-”

Daniel cut you off with a booming laugh, “Walked out? Really? Is that what you tell people?”

Him playing along with your humour felt like a weight off your shoulders, “Only if they ask.”

Daniel, finally, didn’t have to refrain himself anymore. He felt confident enough to drape his arm over your shoulders and walk with you down the paddock. For once, he didn’t care if people looked or recorded and secretly, he hoped they did. 

All he wanted was to be at your side. All he wanted was for the world to know he was proud of you, that, if you asked, he’d be back in your corner.

And you were asking.

“So you need a mentor?” He repeated. “A trainer?”

Your hand slipped around his waist. It was natural, comforting, right.

“Well, I need to win the 500 eventually and then I need to get into Le Mans. I can’t do it alone.”

Daniel looked at you, wearing that stupid grin you missed so much even if you had memorised it the first day you met. You missed him, despite hearing his voice on the broadcasts and seeing him in the paddock. You missed him, he was your missing piece after all.

Daniel looked at you, and you knew, you weren’t alone.

__________________

the end ♡

taglist: @torossosebs@whatthefuckerr@jspitwall@oconso@tsarinablogs@landowecanbewc@somanyfandomsbruh@christianpulisic10@storminacloud@sunnytkm23@formula1mount@azxulaa@icarus-nex@spideyspeaches @moonvr @destourtereaux @baw-sixteen @cinderellawithashoe @love4lando @alesainz @blueanfield @itsmeempar @vellicora @simple-soul-searcher

for some reason im struggling to add people to the taglist, i deeply apologise

Angst like this hurts so GOOD

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 | 𝐝𝐫𝟑

summary... it’s never the right time for  you and daniel, always something pulling the two of you away from each other. requested... yes by literally everyone. yall were coming at me with pitch forks for this warning... age gap (7 years), emotional cheating, physical cheating, angst, angst, angst, light smut (more on fade to black) pairing... daniel ricciardo x horner! reader

note... i am tagging each and everyone of you who asked for a part 2 bc this fic has quite literally loomed over my head ever since i posted it a year ago. literally everytime i open this godforsaken app, someone is offering me their first born for the part 2 so yall better give me all the notes!!!

𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

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high tide came and brought you in

“if you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?”

the question caught you off guard as your friend drunkenly pondered over it out loud. where would you go? you were sober enough to say home, the most acceptable answer that would not invite any other follow up questions. it’s simple and doesn't need a discussion. the reason it caught you off guard wasn’t just that though but because your answer was instantaneous in your head. your answer isn’t a where but rather a who, came your bitter realization. 

and you knew that if you could go anywhere in the world right now, it’d be him you’d go to. he always lingers in the back of your mind, everything that reminded him of you tends to bring a certain kind of aching and longing you’ve grown to resent over the months and years spent without him. 

daniel sent you away and deep in you, you know he meant good. he’d done a selfless thing, loving you and setting you free. but missing him was unbearable, loving him all consuming and you resent him for doing this to you. you resent the world for making you fall for a man without letting you have him. 

still, you did as he told you. you went back to school, pursuing a career in a field you knew he’d be proud of, achieving your dreams and living your life as though a part of you hadn’t been left with him. 

your friends carry on with the party. half of university was partying which is a scene familiar to you. this time, it’s on the beach, the salty air and sound of crashing waves echoing with the sound of the music and chatter. still though, you can’t help but scan the place as though looking for him among the crowd of people the same way you always would. you miss the way you’d find his eyes already on you, pools of brown dripping like honey on your skin. 

but he’s never there and you feel dirty whenever another man looks at you, their gazes too eager as they look at you as though you’re a piece of meat, never gentle like his as though you’re aphrodite herself walking among mere mortals. 

you miss him is the ugly truth. you miss him so fucking terribly it makes you angry. you don’t want to miss him. you no longer want to love him. loving him hurts, as though he’s clawing at your chest and squeezing your heart together in a sick sort of torture. 

but even before he touched you, you were his. all he had to do was look at you. you exist in two places – here and wherever he is. 

eventually as the night progresses on, you move away from the party. you’re in some fancy country club and the tile is expensive on your feet as you step out of your heels and walked towards the beach, feeling the cool sand against your skin. 

in hindsight, you really shouldn’t have been surprised to find him in a place like this but despite looking for him wherever you go, you’d never expect to find him. searching for him has become a comfort the same way longing for him has – in a sick, twisted and painful way. 

but he’s here now and in the one time you hadn’t searched for him, he found you. the moment you’d spotted his figure looking out at sea, he turned to you as though a gravitational pull connected you to him. 

one year, three months and fourteen days. that was the last time you saw him but he looked no different from the man who’d brought you back to your hotel room only to say goodbye. 

and then he smiled and it was as though the sun shone on you again. 

“honey,” he says and your heart trembles. 

daniel.

it was too early. and you’re drunk and you aren’t entirely sure if you were dreaming or not. 

but he stands before you, eyes of brown looking as though you’re aphrodite herself and he can’t quite believe he gets to stand before you. eyes of brown that seem to be sobbing without tears. daniel. 

you’re still not talking and he’s letting you, watching you so intently as though he’s memorizing your face. he looked the exact same but you know what he must be seeing. you look nothing like the woman he left behind. you’d cut your hair short and dyed it. long gone were your summer dress, replaced by tight fitting ones that showed off your body. you feel different and you tried so hard to make sure you wouldn’t recognize yourself in the mirror. you hated seeing the woman who couldn’t make him stay. 

but in his eyes, you see your reflection and you recognize her well. 

“daniel,” you muttered as the crashing waves touched your feet. would you love me now? you wanted to ask. 

he smiled again. “you look beautiful as you always are.”

please touch me, you wanted to beg. soft eyes and soft soft hands. you’re lonely without him. 

you manage a grin. “sure, old man.”

the laugh that he let out echoed against your soul. “i’m being honest.”

you missed him. god, you missed him so fucking much. 

but daniel still would not let himself love you. not yet, not now that you’re finally building something for yourself. you have friends and have set goals. not yet. 

“y/n!” someone calls from behind you but you’re hesitant to take your eyes off of daniel, terrified he’d become a figment of your imagination the moment you do. but your friend's familiar calls force you to. “come on, we have to go.”

you ignore her, turning back to daniel and he smiles at you, offering his hand for you to shake. this is the best he can offer for now. “i’ll see you around, kid.” 

you wanted to cry, wanted to scream that it’s so unfair, but you smile sadly as he shook his hand, his calloused fingers so familiar against yours. 

“in a few years,” you say. 

and as the ocean brought him back to you, the waves must return to the sea. 

but you were still gone and gone, gone and gone

the next time you see daniel again, you were twenty four. you’re in your last year of university, applying for your doctorate. you loved academia, you loved your two cats and your little apartment downtown, you loved science and the galaxy it holds and you eventually realized that this is why he let you go. he wanted you to have this — be more than someone who just follows a man around country after country. 

he wanted you to grow, wanted you to find the things you really loved without influence from him. he wanted you to find your independence and learn to stand on your own two feet. 

max brought you here. it’s his first world champion and as his self proclaimed best friend, he refused to allow you to skip this one and so you pulled up your big girl pants and got on with it, arriving in abu dhabi on friday.

by some cruel twist of fate, he’s the first person you find the moment you enter the paddock. it would have been rude to ignore him and so you smile even though you can clearly see the woman next to him and the way she stands close. 

goddamn it. 

it hurt. it hurt seeing her there. it hurt seeing her cluelessly smile at you. the way he looks at you now, eyes of brown full of silent apologies, looking as though he wanted to reach over and touch you, to comfort you. 

you release a shaky breathe, raising your hand in an pathetic attempt of a wave before you walk past him. you aren’t the same young kid like before. now, you have enough self reservation to not actively put yourself in a situation that would only hurt you. you don’t need to play besties with daniel’s new girlfriend. 

the moment you enter the red bull motorhome, you hit max at the back of his head.

“what?” he exclaimed as you glared at him. 

“you’re an idiot,” was all you said before moving towards your father. you’d ignore daniel and his girlfriend. you’re here to support max – even if he is a stupid idiot – and there’s no need for you to obsess over daniel. 

but of course, you still do anyway. even as you watch the race, you’re watching him. he looks good, amazing, fucking edible. he looks like he stepped right out of your dirtiest dreams, all thick neck and stable arms. he looks beautiful, absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking and you selfishly want him just for you. but you’ve always wanted that and you’ve never been allowed to have him.

and then you’re watching her. she’s grace herself, really. she’s exactly the kind of woman he needed and you wonder if she knows about you and then you wonder what it is about her. what is it about her that made it so that daniel thought she’s good enough for him to love when he never could you?

“mate, it’s getting creepy,” max said as he took the seat before you. he looks tired but he looks determined and the way the hair falls over his face makes you smile. max is a very special person to you and you know that he always will. you hold him close to your heart and you know you’d move the earth for him. 

you reach over, fixing the collar of his red bull shirt. “shut up.”

“her name’s caroline,” max says. “if you want to get to know her then just approach her.”

you glared at him. you don’t want to know her name. you don’t want to know what her laugh sounds like or the color of her eyes. you don’t want to know what made daniel fall in love with her. you don’t want to know her. 

“shut up,” you say again. “i’m still blaming you.”

max laughed and you think him annoying you might just be his way of distracting himself from the race so you let him. you let him talk on and on and on the entire time till he’s needed back in the motorhome. you let him steal yur ice cream and tap your nose. 

but when you turned back to her, caroline, you find him staring right back at you, anger and jealousy in those brown eyes you missed so much.

and it was like you’re twenty again, petty and young as you glared right back at him. he had no reason to be jealous when he has her beside him. he has no right to be jealous when he’s the one who’s never allowed the two of you to be more. 

these hands had to let it go free

that night, he called you for the first time in three years. his name lit up your phone and your hand shook as you picked it up. his picture, smiling up at you taken at your twentieth birthday stares right back at you. 

“daniel,” you breathe out as you press the phone against your ear. you’d arrived back in your hotel room two hours ago smelling of champagne and victory. max’s world championship trophy is laying next to you after being forgotten because your best friend was far too drunk to grab it before his girlfriend dragged him out. throughout the party, you avoided daniel like the plague, keeping to your side of the room and never straying towards him. 

“i missed you,” he says from the other end, voice cracking and slurring. he’s drunk and you push back the blanket as you enter the bathroom, hand gripping your phone. “but fuck it, i don’t miss this.”

“what are you saying?” 

“he’s my best mate, y/n.” there goes your name. not sweetheart or honey. he says your name like it’s sacred, something he’s only ever allowed to say when he’s at his most vulnerable, completely raw and baring his soul to you. “and i wanted to fucking punch his face the entire night.”

you close your eyes. this is familiar to you. daniel and his raw honesty when he’s drunk. daniel and his jealousy of max. this is all so familiar to you that you feel twenty again. you feel young and out of control and so drunk in love with a man you can’t have that it physically hurts. he’s ripped you off the past few years where you’ve grown into yourself. you’re twenty again and so tragically in love. 

“i wanted to punch his fucking face because his touching you, because i’m not allowed to touch you,” he continues as you sink to the floor. 

“you’re the only one who’s never let yourself touch me, daniel,” you whispered on the phone, broken down from one phone call.

he laughs bitterly and you might as well not have said anything. “and here i am, can’t even sleep next to my damn girlfriend because i keep thinking of you. it’s so unfair.”

you wanted to laugh too. unfair? how does he get to talk about unfair when he’d been the one to create this mess for the two of you? how dare he talk about being unfair when he’s the one who’s with another girl? this is unfair. it’s unfair to you. he doesn’t deserve to talk about it being unfair. 

the night he left you in your hotel room on your twenty first birthday, you’d called his name again and again like a child. you hoped by some magical thing that he’ll appear. you were desperate. 

“you shouldn’t have come back,” he says. “not yet. we both weren’t ready.” 

you wipe the tears falling to your cheeks. “and when will that happen? when will we be ready? maybe it’s time to accept that it isn’t us.” 

you heard him let out a shaky breath. “don’t say that. don’t say it.”

“i’m so tired of waiting. if it wasn’t us then and it isn’t us now, why do we still believe that it’s us someday?” 

“ask me to stay,” he whispers. “ask me to stay and i will. ask me to drop her and i will. i will drop everything if you ask me to.”

you cry, pulling your knees against your chest. “goodbye, dan.”

struggled through the night with someone new

the next time you see daniel again, you invited him.  you’re twenty five, it’s two thousand and twenty two, you’re engaged and you’d gotten arrogant. 

you met your fiance, james, in university. you’re in the same program and the same friend group though you never paid much attention to him. for the most part, you never really paid much attention to anyone. six months later and he asked you on a date, one you’d declined without a second thought. it didn’t matter how many guys asked you out, you always declined, daniel in the back of your mind always reminding you of what you’re truly waiting for. 

but james never treated you any differently. he never made it awkward and never put you on the spot. for the most part, you both acted like it never happened. but you applied to the same doctorate program and coincidentally  ended up in apartments right next to each other. he was a comfort, a friend you already knew that you could rely on. he never made anymore advances towards you but it was inevitable to grow closer. 

he’s stability and curiosity. he never once pulled back whenever you touched him or apologized for liking you. it was a breath of fresh air – to be admired so freely. you did your thesis together, hands tightly clamped together as you defended it. 

you were the one to ask james out on a date, knowing he wouldn’t again in fear of making you uncomfortable. and after leaning on each other as friends for so long, transitioning to become lovers was so easy, you didn’t have to worry what anyone would say or think of you. you didn’t have to worry what your family would think. everything was easy with him. 

james was so different from the type of love you were used to. you could love him without guilt, without pain and longing. you could love him simply, easily. you didn’t need to ask him to love you back, didn’t need to wonder if he’d still love you tomorrow. it was so easy being with him and you’d gotten lazy. waiting and hurting and crying for daniel was exhausting. 

you wanted a love you didn’t have to fight for. 

you’ve convinced yourself that you no longer felt anything for daniel, gaslighting yourself into believing that you’d close that chapter and left it in the past. you can move on now. there was no need for you constantly being miserable and lonely waiting for him to be ready. 

and yet here you were, your fiance’s arm around you as you stare at the front door. you shouldn’t have invited him. there was no reason for you to do so but you wanted to prove yourself. you wanted to prove to yourself that he no longer affected you. daniel is in the past and you’ve told yourself repeatedly that you’ve let him go but now you wanted to show yourself that you have. 

if you’re lucky, maybe he wouldn’t attend at all.

“are you okay, love?” james whispered against your ear, having noticed your stiff posture. you spent weeks planning your engagement party, stressing over the smallest details but now you don’t seem to be enjoying yourself. 

you loved this about him – the way he’s able to read you like an open book. james knows there was someone before him – someone who’d left you broken and torn apart. he just didn’t know that person would be attending today. 

you nod, taking a sip from the champagne glass you’d been holding as an excuse to stop your hands from fidgeting. “just a bit nervous from the crowd.”

“don’t worry too much. it’s just friends and family.” he gives you an assuring smile, accepting your reasoning as he pulls you closer towards him to try and comfort you. 

you’re an idiot, the biggest one there is. max told you himself after you told him that you sent the invite to daniel. you’re a massive idiot and you’re in denial and you set your own trap, tempting yourself when there was no need to and now you were going to hurt james because the moment daniel entered the room, your breath was knocked out of you, heart beating furiously as though it recognized him. 

it was daniel. how can you be so stupid? 

his eyes meets yours and you missed the way those eyes of brown settle on your skin, grazing as though his soul was touching yours. but they’re sad this time – sad and exhausted and defeated and you can practically hear the way your heart shatters. it was daniel. it has always been daniel. it will always be daniel. how stupid were you to think otherwise? how stupid were you to believe you could ever forgot the way your heart and soul roars back to life the moment he enters the room. 

you’ll break james’ heart, you’re breaking your own and you’ve broken his. 

the entire time, you and james had stood before the door, greeting all of your guests and showing them where they can wait. you absolutely had no plans to greet daniel. it was bad enough that he was here, but james, sweet sweet james, who had no idea what he was doing dragging you towards the formula one driver, hadn’t gotten the memo.

he didn’t know that having daniel’s eyes on you so close would set wildfires in your stomach and he didn’t know how exhausting and difficult it was to contain those wildfires. he didn’t know that he was burning himself as he all but dragged you in front of him. 

“hey,” your fiance says cluelessly. “daniel ricciardo!” 

daniel is looking at you and you feel frozen under his gaze. it’s heavy. he makes you feel heavy, like you were cheating on james simply by looking at you. you feel nauseous but with guilt eating up at every cell in your stomach. but you shouldn’t feel guilty. he had no right to make you feel guilty for moving on. he moved on. last you him, he had a girlfriend. why aren’t you allowed to do the same? why can’t you go on with your life and build a future with a nice man that isn’t him?

“i’m a big fan,” james says cheerfully, offering his hand for daniel to shake and forcing him to tear his gaze away from you. 

daniel forces a smile to his face, moving to shake his hand and you know this is the part where you’re supposed to introduce him. daniel is your guest after all and so you clear your throat, hoping your smile isn’t as stiff as you feel like it is. 

“james, this is my friend daniel. daniel, my fiance james.” you manage to let out, gripping your champagne glass to avoid having to touch either of them the same way you avoid the way daniel’s eyes hardened when the word fiance tumbled from your lips. 

“it’s really nice to meet you, mate,” james says with a massive smile. god he’s so nice and sweet and you hate what you’re doing to him. 

daniel says nothing, only smiling and you end this entire interaction the moment you get a chance to. pointing at the snacks table, you turned to him. “there’s food over there and max is around here somewhere. nice seeing you again, daniel.”

you were lying through your goddamn teeth. thankfully, he seems to have taken the hint, walking away without saying another word. 

the entire night, you feel his eyes on you. even as james makes his speech declaring his love for you, daniel stares at you with hooded eyes. he looks pissed and sad at the same time and you wanted to scream. stop looking at me! you couldn’t take anymore of this. he’s looking at you as though you’re under a microscope – staring into your soul like he could reach you there. 

you’re an idiot and now that he’s in the same room as you are, the illusion has left you. you’re not over daniel because you can never be over him. he’s engraved in your soul, his fingerprints all over your heart. he was, and still is, the sun that made your universe turn. you’re choking and you needed to get away lest you burst.

daniel is overwhelming. he’s terrifying and addicting and you hate him but you’re madly in love with him. and worse of all, you’ll spend the rest of your life being in love with him. you’ll spend the rest of your life wanting him and hurting for him and and longing for him and that’s a goddamn fucking tragedy. 

you manage to get through the party, practically dissociating yourself. eventually the guests leave one by one, only your family and closest friends left. you sit on the foyer with max, the dutchman watching you drink champagne straight out of the bottle.

“you shouldn’t have invited him,” he tells you quietly. “you were fucking yourself over.”

you roll your eyes. you stare inside the house where daniel is talking to your father. your dad offered his home for your engagement party. you know he likes james. your mother too and your little siblings can’t get enough of him. that fact almost makes you want to throw up. 

“i thought i was over him,” you say.

it’s max’s turn to roll his eyes. “you’re just a good liar. you’ll never be over daniel and he’ll never be over you. even i know that.”

you glared at him. you already know what he’s telling you and quite frankly, you had no desire to hear it again. “i hate you.” 

“neither you nor dan would survive this long without me.” max laughed and you threw the throw pillow at him. 

not that he’s lying. you met max the same time you did daniel and you clicked immediately. he knows everything, comforted you many times as you pined over dan. he’s your best friend and he’s also daniel’s best friend. he knows more than anyone how deep the connection you two shared. 

“go home already,” you tell him. you’re tired and slightly drunk and you just want to go to bed now. “and make sure you take him with you.” 

max laughed at the way you said him like it’s a bad taste on your tongue but did as you said anyways. 

that night, you laid on the bed you and james shared, you couldn’t sleep. he’s fast asleep next to you, his arm over your stomach as you lay wide awake. you shouldn’t have invited him because now he’s turned your world upside down again. everything you’ve built for yourself was gone the moment his eyes met yours. he’s a plague, sucking all the happiness out of you. 

eventually though, the restless night was about to get worse as you picked up your phone, scrolling through your contacts till you found his name. you stared at it for a while, knowing that you shouldn’t but you’re rattled and your self control is at an all time low. you shouldn’t have been trusted to make any types of decisions. 

you come back to what you need

daniel was waiting for you when you parked your car outside his apartment building, hand gripping his phone as he watched you step out of the vehicle. four years since he first let you go and one year since he last saw you and you look as beautiful as you ever were.

he shouldn’t have told you to come but he’s so exhausted from staying away, from waiting for the right time. there will never be a right time and tonight, he’s done holding back. he wants you, he always has and he no longer has the energy to stop himself from wanting you. 

“i shouldn’t be here,” was the first thing you said as he opened the door for you. 

a lazy, almost mocking smile covered his lips. “and yet here you are.”

you glared at him but daniel’s heart was soaring. it’s been so long since you were this close. he can smell the perfume that followed you and the scent of your shampoo. he’s so so tired, he just wanted to hold you. 

he’s going to make this as hard as possible, you realize. you’re no longer a child, he doesn’t need to play nice and easy with you anymore. you’re a woman now and he’s going to treat you like one. but you just need to get over this. you need closure. you need to put him in the past where he truly belongs so you can go about your life. you need him out of your system. 

daniel may be everything you wanted but it’s time to accept that he’ll never be what you need. 

“why did you come?” you asked, wanting to get this over with as quickly as you can. three years pining for him in red bull and four years of longing for him and everything leads you here. 

daniel cocked an eyebrow. he’s done with playing nice. “you invited me.”

okay, you walked right into that one. “you still shouldn’t have come.” 

daniel wanted to laugh. “i guess we  both like doing shit that we shouldn’t do. now the question is, sweetheart, what are you doing here?” 

“i’m getting married, daniel,” you whispered. “we need to accept that it isn’t us.”

“i thought you did that in abu dhabi.”

he’s being an asshole. “you’re the one who told me to leave. you don’t get to be mad that i’m moving on.”

“you’re not moving on,” he laughed, leaning against the wall. 

you glared at him. “yes, i am. i’m getting married!” 

he looked at you as though you said something hilarious and you wanted to punch him in the face for it. “and yet you’re here.” 

“for closure.”

he stepped towards you and you found yourself holding your breath. from this close, you can see the freckles on your cheeks, the ones you used to spend all your time trying to memorize. the curve of his plump lips and the intensity in his eyes. and when he touched, it felt like the first drop of rain after a million years of dessert. his hand perfectly fitted on your hips, warm and so achingly familiar. 

his hand snaked from your hip to your legs, finger light on your skin as he ever so slightly tugged at your shorts. you need to pull away but your body needs him closer. you want him. you want him to get closer. you want him to touch you more, to feel his skin against yours. you can have every single inch of his body pressed against yours and you’d still begged to get closer. 

his lips graze your cheek before it reaches your ear, even breathes in contrast to your desperately shaky ones. “is that really what you want, baby?”

with every ounce of sanity you have left, you forced yourself to nod and you can feel the way his lips formed into a mocking smile against your cheek. 

“really?” he mocked. “then why are you clutching my shirt like you want more?”

you hadn’t even realized the way your fist is holding on to his shirt, pulling him closer towards you like you’re terrified he’d disappear right between your fingertips. 

“fuck,” you muttered, the heat of his skin against yours dizzying. james is nowhere near your mind as your hand slips under his shirt, self control flying out the window as you feel the curves of his abs. you want him. you’ve always wanted him so desperately that you’re willing to go to hell for it. “fuck me.” 

he kissed you then, fire in his lips as it finally finally touched yours. this is all you’ve ever asked for and it’s worth the damnation you’d be paying in return. you pull him impossibly closer, going on your tiptoes. you need to get closer. closer, closer, closer. 

like an addicted chainsmoker to cigarettes, you can’t get enough of his kiss. you want to inhale the fumes of his breath, of him, deep into your lungs. he tugs at your shirt and you pull away enough for him to get it off. 

you grunt in complaint when he pulled away from you, only to swallow it back as his lips attached to the skin of your chest, licking and nibbling as it slowly made it way down. 

“oh,” you breathe out as he lips attached to your breast, your fingers tugging at his curls as his tongue circled your nipple. 

you should have stopped him the moment his hand unbuttoned your shorts but as he bent you over and his hand slipped between your folds and he trapped your moans with his mouth, you were far too gone. god be damned, morality be damned. you’d crawl through hell for this. 

but eventually, reality comes knocking and morning comes and your bliss ends. you woke up from your phone ringing, cocooned in daniel’s arms. 

“don’t answer it,” he mutters but sleepily, you grab your phone from the nightstand, seeing james’ name on your screen. 

and that snaps you out of it, being reminded of what happened the night before and what you did and you all but jumped out of his arms as though his touch burned you. 

“fuck, fuck, fuck,” you mutter under your breath as you hurriedly put on your clothes, daniel watching you still naked from his place on the bed. you turned to him, “this never happened.”

you watched as anger slowly filled his eyes. “are you being serious right now?” 

“i’m getting married, daniel!” you’re panicking now, screaming as your phone rings again. 

“then why the fuck were you knocking on my door at two in the morning?” 

you ignore him, gathering your things. “it was a mistake.”

he’s glaring at you now, looking like he wanted to start screaming. but he remains silent, only glaring as you gather your things and put on your clothes. 

you look at him again, apologies and sorrow in your eyes. “i’m sorry but this isn’t me. this can’t be me.”

and then you left, not allowing yourself to look back as you ran to your car. maybe in a parallel universe or a different world, you sit next to each other at the kitchen table and go over the grocery list, but for all the universes and worlds there are, this one was not enough, not for now and not for you and daniel. 

when you finally arrive home, your father is in the kitchen, eyeing you up as you walk past him. “where were you? james was looking for you.” 

you grimace. there’s a knowing look in christian’s eyes as though whatever you reason he already knows will be a lie. and unfortunately, he’d be right. “i was out with friends.”

“at seven in the morning?” he narrowed his eyes and you hated his timing. of all times, did he have to question you now? 

“breakfast.” 

you all but run to your room before he can question you further, thanking all the gods that james isn’t there. for a moment, you stood stunned, reeling from the past twenty four hours as the guilt settles in your chest. you need to get as far away from daniel as you possibly can. you can’t be the type of woman who cheats on her fiance. you refuse to be. you refuse to break a good man’s heart like that. 

and yet as you finally calm down enough to try and fix yourself, your phone buzzes, his name appearing on your screen saying he sent you a text message. 

daniel i’ve loved you in every way i can. i loved you selfishly and so i tried loving you distantly, i tried loving you selflessly, i tried loving you correctly but i just want to love you now. if i could do it all over again, i would love you better but i can’t love you more than i do now.

this love came back to me

the wind is chilly as you step foot in hungary and the dress you wore is definitely not meant for it but still, you persevere, finding your way to the red bull motorhome and greeting your father. the last time you attended a grand prix was abu dhabi 2021 and yet it still feels like home. 

“there’s my biggest fan!” max cheered the moment he saw you, immediately wrapping his arms around you. he hasn’t seen you for nearly a year and he missed his best friend. to be fair, no one has seen you for nearly a year, disappearing from the face of the earth after your failed engagement. 

after the night of your engagement party, the guilt ate you alive as you realized that you were exactly the kind of girl you didn’t want to be and so you came clean to james. he screamed and cried and said you could work it out but you were exhausted from lying to yourself. as long as there was daniel, you can never be happy with anyone else and no man deserve to be someone you simply settled with. 

you realized then that you’d lost yourself. you don’t know who you are, don’t know who you’ve become and so you left everything you know, ignoring everyone’s calls as you attempt to find yourself. 

“actually, i’m supporting ferrari,” you joke once max finally lets you go. 

“i’ll disown you!” your father screamed from across the garage, making you and max laugh. 

“have you seen him?” max asked, whispering as though he’s telling you a secret.

you shake your head. coincidentally enough, or ironically, the first gp you attend in a while, daniel is announced to race in. and max, quite frankly, is far too excited for the two of you to see each other again. he’s had enough watching you both be stupid. 

after catching up with max and the mechanics you still know, you find yourself in a cafe with your father, talking about everything and nothing at all. christian watched your every move and you can see the worry in his eyes. he’s part of the people you ran from and you know that it was a cruel thing to do to your father. 

and then he was there and you’re all too familiar with the feeling of your world freezing the moment your eyes meet. he looks better, happier and you’re sure you look different too, hopefully more grown. 

“you’re here,” he says, unbelieving. 

you smile, genuine and free this time. “i’m here.” 

and this time around, you were both tired of fighting it. it’s him. it’s always been him. there was no point denying it. he’s the only person you’ll ever want. you are totally and irrevocably in love with him – the kind of love that’s so intense it feels like an explosion of fireworks throughout your whole body. the love that leaves you sleepless but exhilarated, speechless but poetic, lost but exactly where you're meant to be. 

and in that moment, your lives flashed before your eyes – marriage, children, growing old together. 

daniel ricciardo is the defining moment, the collision of stars that slammed into you so hard it tore your heart in pieces and only he can put it back together again. 

he smiles at you and you smile back. 

hello, love, welcome home.

and finally, finally, it felt like the world isn’t burning anymore. 

taglist: @ricsaigaslec @dragon-of-winterfell @coffeehurricanes @rdtbattinson @privcherry7 @miniminescapist @sebsdaniel @strelcka @writing-about-current-obsessions @amsofftrack @lostinketterdam @bisexual-desi @cialovessirlewis @multilovebot @lovelynikol16 @troybolton-14 @ohthemissery @dr3lover @myescapefromthislife @sunf1owerrq @the6ccnsp6cyy @t-nd-rfoot @navixfr @xjval @gridbunny

@heyoooo1111 @littlefreaksatellite @imxthunderstorms @o0itsjustme0o @bigdickdannyric1 @hellomumitsme @llarue @ironmaiden1313 @magic-s0ul @lynnthinksthings @vainbimbo @3khaos @chimchimjiminie16 @lost-heartbeat @thxtmarvelchick @s4dgir1jaehyun @dreaminofpoison @lewishamiltonstuff @mk15x @angywritesstuff @that-aesthetic-chic @artemis-medusa @capbuckybuchanan @moonvr @softsakusas @closhelby @

Hello, Maxie girlys

I am trying to find the masterlist of the story where he is dating someone with Sabrina carpenter as face claim. She is the sister of taylor swift face claim and she is dating Danny. I loved the oneshots that were there but I was a dumb dumb and didn't save it. Sooooo. HELP!!!!

Drabble No.1 F1 driver as your bf

OK but imagine you are dating a f1 driver, whichever you want, and they come home in a really bad mood because it was a shitty race and usually this results in two outcomes :

-> Comfort: Just a big grumpy baby that wants cuddles and kisses. Enjoying the peace and quiet in each other's arms as soothing words and sweet nothings are whispered. Nice hot shower (maybe?) to relieve all the emotional pressure and a nice dinner in bed while watching a movie <3

-> Fucking your brains out : Picture this ...

Him walking fast towards the apartment/house/whatever and letting the door slam shut. Him stalking towards you still in the racing suit, being sweaty and all. Easily picking you up and placing you in kitchen counter. Removing swiftly all your clothes and unzipping the suit letting it fall snuggly at his hips.

From then on being at his mercy. Because he has to let out all the frustration and what better way to do so than teasing his girl to the brink of insanity.

Or a more possible scenario .... Making you suck him off. Knowing that it will boost the much lowered self esteem. So you drop on your knees in front of him as he places a hand to you head, following our body. Teasing him in return. Starting by kissing the tip and licking him from the base to the tip. Slowly fitting him in your mouth and placing your hands underneath the low hanging racing suit, grabbing his ass and burying your nails there, leaving ten moonshaped marks. Moving your head even further, taking more of him in your mouth every single time. Until your nose is grazing his groin. And then letting his cock with a satisfying pop and switching to his balls. Sucking them as moans and groans leave him because he was so impossibly close and now you are purely torturing him in the best possible way.

But then when he has enough, the hand that was simply resting on your head, will grab a handful of your hair. Guiding you back to his cock, past your open lips. And setting a new pace by moving your face back and forth in a speed you could never move while fitting his cock in your mouth. His hips jerking and his ass clenching, trying to prolong the on coming orgasm but to no avail. And then he comes in your mouth, admiring your tear-stained face, as drool falls to your chin and your eyes are shining with lust, love and admiration. Officially losing himself to you.

the eras - masterlist

Twenty two stories inspired by the lyrics from all Taylor Swift albums.

drivers: mv1, dr3, ln4, sv5, pg10, fa14, cl16, aa23, eo31, lh44, ms47, cs55, gr63, op81.

note/warnings: english is not my native language, so there will probably be some spellings mistakes, even though i will try to have as least as possible. Also, you can request from any of drivers above with whatever songs you want that has not been asigned to a driver, if the song is followed by three dots then you can leave a request for that song. Please read the specific warnings for each story as there will probably be some angst and some topics you may not be comfortable reading :)

PS: I will also be posting other stories and social media Au's and if you want to request for any other song for taylor or any type of Au/imagine freely do so. :)

If you want to get tagged on the next stories just leave a comment and I will do it

Teardrops on my Guitar | pg10

They had been friends for years, her always yearning for him to look at her like she did just once but he never did and she wishes that the girl he loves can adore him like she does.

Tim Mcgraw | ...

"And i was right there beside him all summer long. And then the time i woke up to find that summer gone"

Superstar | ms47 (2.4k words)

Where two young kids fall in love but the world one of them is involved in seems to be against their happiness.

The Way I Loved You | ... & ...

"And he says, you look beautiful tonight, and I feel perfectly fine. But i miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain"

Enchanted | cs55

At one of those fancy parties they met, those where she had to be introduced to everybody with a shaking hand or a nod. But she left with a tingling sensation and the need to know more about him.

Back to December | dr3 (soon to be made a series)

She knew that if she could go back in time she would re do everything a do it right this time. But she can't and now she only has those memories left.

Begin Again | pg10 (2.0k words)

All the love she ever knew was one that hurted and burned but at a Parisian coffe shop on a wednesday she realized that maybe that was not all that love had to offer.

Stay, Stay, Stay | mv1 (requested)

"Before you, I'd only dated self-indulgent takers, who took all of their problems out on me, but ypu carry my groceries and now I'm always laughing"

You Are in Love | ln4

Best friends, that's what they called each other, even with the dances and pictures in offices they still called each other that. But a drunk call on a late night might change everything.

Wildest Dreams | sv5 (requested)

"You'll see me in hindsight, tangled up with you all night, burning it down. Someday when you leave me, I bet these memories. Follow you around"

How You Get The Girl | ln4 (requested)

After months of back and forths and unofficial relationships he finds himself infront of her house completely soaked but with the intention to work things out

Style | ...

"And when we go crushing down, we come back every time, 'cause we never go out of time"

New Years Day | lh44 (requested)

"Don't read the last page, but I stay when it's hard, or it's wrong, or we're making mistakes I want your midnights, but I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day"

Gorgeous | ms47

He can't quite understand what he's done to her as she seems to despise him so much, if he only knew the reason why.

I Think He Knows | ln4 (requested)

"Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh We can follow the sparks, I'll drive. So where we gonna go? I whisper in the dark. Where we gonna go? I think he knows"

Cornelia Street | lh44 (requested)

"Windows swung right open, autumn air Jacket 'round my shoulders is yours We bless the rains on Cornelia Street Memorize the creaks in the floor"

The Lakes | sv5

When the world seems to haunt them they find themselves looking for each other on the toughest times

Mirrorball | mv1

Where he tries to do everything to please everybody but when he's with her he can be his true self.

Gold Rush | cl16

Her mind can't understand why everybody is so infatuated by the Charles Leclerc until she finds her heart fluttering when he's around and can not explain it.

Ivy | lh44

Where she finds herself in the claws of a love less relationship and even knowing it's wrong she goes to seek comfort and love in the arms of another

Midnight Rain | ...

"My boy was a montage, a slow-motion, love potion. Jumping off things in the ocean I broke his heart 'cause he was nice"

Maroon | cs55

The rise and fall of a short but, oh, so, ardent relationship, between two strangers who one night met and became more than that.

♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡ ♡❀˖⁺. ༶ ⋆˙⊹❀♡

I belong with you

-> What happens if he sees his schoold best friend again?

-> Word Count: 965

->Author note: my first fic I hope you like it <3 English is not my first language so sorry for mistakes

Daniel Ricciardo, F1 driver, was strugling with himself. He knew that he was in love with his best friend,

He had actually kept these feelings inside himself for many years. Now Daniel had to make a decision, to tell you or not.

He decided to go for a walk in Perth, your home place, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, at least for him.

Daniel lived in Monaco, and he spent most of the time there, but he was in Perth for the weekend in summer break.

He was in the park you always went in your teen years and spent hours laughing and been 2 best friends idiots. He was lot in his toughts when something or someone broke them.

"Daniel, how are you? It is a long time I haven't seen you around here."- You told him when he sat in the bench you were.

"Ah, I've been very busy, you know, races. I came back a little to get used to the time change," Daniel told him.

"That sounds hard. But congratulations on crossing the wins record of Formula 1. It is a hard job but it is the one you love, the one you have been training for. It is just that can keep the rest of us in good terms, huh?"-you said, putting a lighthearted smile on his face.

It had been a long time you didn't see your old friend, but it did not felt like it. It felt like you kept talking like it was yesterday you did something and laughed at it.

"How have you been? What are you doing?"Daniel asked you.

"I have been great, I'm working in my mum's company. And what about you? How have you been? I missed you Dan." You told him, laughing at the memories and pictures of when you were younger and ran away from home to go with your dad to see Danny karting and to some of his european competitions . Daniel also laughed and told you about his latest races. When you guy's had been talking for a few hours you looked at the time and saw that it was really late. "I have to go, I'm sorry Dan." You said as you gave him a hug goodbye and left towards your house.

When you arrived, you threw yoursel in your bed and remember all your memories together.

-Fuck, I'm in love with him- you realised but told yourself to stop thinking of him. You tried to sleep but found yourself thinking about him all night long, so you decided to get up and text Daniel. You started with a "Hey Dan, I miss our talks today."

He replied back almost immediately and you guys talked for a few hours until you finally fell asleep. You had been best friends since you were kids and always stuck together. Daniel had always secretly been in love with you, but never said anything as he didn't want to ruin your friendship. But now, things were different. You had both grown up and things had changed between you. There was now a spark of something more and Daniel knew that he couldn't ignore his feelings any longer. He loved you and wanted to be with you, but was scared of what might happen if he told you. Would things change between you? Would you still be friends? Daniel didn't know what to do, but he knew that he had to tell you how he felt. He was scared, but it was time to take the plunge and tell you the truth.

He finally decided that it was better to tell you how he felt and risk everything, rather than living with the regret of never having told you. st places in the world to think. As he walked along the beach, he thought about how everything started between you two.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day he told you to come over to his house, where you had been so many times inyour childhood.

-Come with me- You were hesitant but you nodded and followed him over to the side of the room.

"What's up?" you asked. Daniel took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to say. "I need to tell you something," he began. "And I'm really scared about it."

You could see the fear in his eyes and you instantly knew what he was going to say. You had always known that Daniel had feelings for you, but you never said anything as you didn't want to ruin your friendship. But now, things were different. You had both grown up and things had changed between you. There was now a spark of something more and you knew that you couldn't ignore your feelings any longer.

You loved Daniel and wanted to be with him, but were scared of what might happen if you told him. Would things change between you? Would you still be friends? You didn't know what to do, but you knew that you had to tell Daniel how you felt.

You were scared, but it was time to take the plunge and tell him the truth. "I love you, Daniel," you blurted out. "I'm in love with you." Daniel's eyes widened in shock as he stared at you. He hadn't expected you to say those words, but they were exactly what he had wanted to hear. He quickly wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a hug. "I love you too," he whispered into your ear. "I've been in love with you for so long." friends since you were kids and always stuck together. Daniel had always secretly been in love with you, but never said anything as he didn't want to ruin your friendship.

"Baby i belong with you"