Random Football OneShots (눈‸눈)

OS 25 - „free practice 1 with Gio and Erling"

"Good morning, Gio!"

Gio's assistant was beaming at him like the sun itself as soon as he entered the paddock. Her steps were light and energetic. She already had her notes app open on her iPhone, ready to fire at him with his appointments.

"Mornin'."

Gio had to watch out that he didn't trip over his own feet. One might think after getting up, taking a shower and driving to the track he must be awake already. Truth was, his brain was still hazy, clouded with sleepiness. Lazy.

"Do you want your day overview now or later?"

"Now."

Might as well get over with it.

"Sure! So, today is not a busy day. We have two interviews: One in an hour for the french TV, the other after practice two for a magazine. Of course the usual Sky talk. Uhhh, what else...", she scrolled through her notes animatedly.
"Oh yeah! The PR have another YouTube video planned for the late evening, they'll text me when we can come over-"

"'Not busy', eh?", Gio sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

His assistant stopped talking and laughed at his interruption.

"Do you want a coffee?", she asked.

"No." Gio shook his head.

She had asked this three weeks in a row already. He still didn't like coffee.

They kept walking in the fast pace she had set, Gio didn't really know why, next to each other through the motorhome.

At Liverpool's entrance Kloppo was chatting with Pep, his arms as always making big gestures to underline each of his words.

Further down the road Gio could see Phil coming out of the City container, already wearing his nomex underwear and racing suit around his hips, god knows why.

Around him everything was loud and hectic.

Normally he liked this kind of atmosphere - you had to, as an F1 driver - but not at this time of the day.

Gio hated mornings.
He hated not being able to sleep long.
He hated people who would come at him so early, starting to stuff him with informations like a waterfall, when he was visibly not in the mood to talk.
He hated the reporters taking pictures of him when he was looking like this, eyes still puffy and half lidded.

And nobody ever understood.

Again Gio sighed and took the three steps up into the black-yellow motorhome.

"Morning!", his assistant greeted loudly and gave every single person she passed a smile.

Gio tried to avoid eye contact and just nodded his head at them.

"Load off your stuff. No stress, you have time. We'll go over to the interview then."

Valerie waited outside, smashing her keyboard into her phone's display, as they arrived at Gio's room and he went inside.

The comfort he felt when he stepped into the small space just for him, knowing exactly where everything was, was almost overwhelming.

He let the backpack slide from his shoulders and fall to the ground with a little thud.
Gio turned to the table, laid down the drivers pass for the weekend, his car keys next to it and opened a cabin to take out one of the waterbottles from the highest shelf. Stay hydrated and stuff...

He bent down to place the backpack onto the chair, casually checking if his purse was still inside, as if it could've magically disappeared. Stupid.

He closed the door shut after him when he left.