malicious | max verstappen

twenty one.

The first day passed by like a haze. I wasn't really feeling myself though I managed to stay in P3 for all practice sessions. It was time for qualifying and the track conditions were terrible; heavy rain and no grip. The water kept getting piled up and was at-least 3 cm thick. I could barely feel the pavement on the tyres, just water.

"The track conditions are fucking shit, man. How the hell are we supposed to drive in this?" I grumbled over the radio.

"Just keep driving, El. Weather forecast says it should start to clear up soon." I was brushed off by my engineer.

Yet the weather didn't improve one bit. Thankfully, I managed to make it to Q3. I refused to go out until the weather cleared up but when I realized that wasn't going to happen soon, I reluctantly got into the car and started driving.

"Norris is on his flyer in front of you. Go in 5 to leave some space." My engineer informed and I pressed the confirm button.

As I passed the start/finish line, I soared through the straight with astonishing speed. The upgrades Mercedes' got for us this weekend were truly a step up. I braked late, almost losing grip but quickly regained control, though luckily my mistake didn't cost me any extra time.

After passing the first corner, adrenaline built up inside of me as I approached Eau Rouge. I couldn't see much since there was a lot of spraying going on there so I guessed it was just Lando passing by there.

As I accelerated on the famous corner my engineer warned me, "El, El, Norris ahead crashed. Avoid him!"

However, his warning was far too late and I noticed the orange car far too late. My front wing smashed into a single tyre, making my car spin and collide with the front half of Lando's car. I closed my eyes as I felt the impact.

MAX's POV

I was sitting in my garage. I already had provisional pole and it didn't seem like anyone else would be getting close to my time. I mindlessly watched quali from one of the screens in the garage.

At first, they were filming Norris' flyer lap but once he didn't come out of the corner, the camera was now on the Mercedes' of Elyse which was shortly following. I heard the commentators shout as I watched everything unfold.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the broadcast. The way the tyre hit Elyse's front wing, Lando spinning like a helicopter, the two cars crashing into each other at 200 km/h. My heart was caught in my throat.

I frantically searched for my engineer who I asked whether Elyse and Lando were okay but I simply received a shrug. I was getting tired of not knowing whether she was okay, I mean if they were okay, so I acted without thinking and rushed to the Mercedes' garage. I was met with plenty of weird looks though I couldn't blame them. The session was red flagged so I spotted Lewis, chewing on his fingers nervously. It seemed he also didn't know whether they were okay or not.

Then, Sebastian Vettel's onboard camera was being played for everyone. It showed him passing by the wreckage while swearing distraughtly.

A thumbs up from Lando managed to ease my nerves yet the no response from Elyse only increased my anxiety. I watched as Lando got out of his car, limping slightly towards El's car. He took off her helmet and then gave Seb a thumbs up but continued to wave at marshals and at the approaching Safety Car. That wasn't good, I thought to myself.

However, Lewis and I couldn't help but release a sigh of relief.

"You should probably head back to your garage." Lewis pointed out as he started to head somewhere.

"Yeah, I will." I nodded, "Where are you going?"

"To the medical wing."

"I'm coming with you." I declared.

ELYSE's POV

I was alive. And awake. But I was in excruciating pain.

I could walk and feel everything fine. I was just in immense pain from my neck and arms. The impact was much more than I had anticipated. But, I've survived worse.

I thanked Lando as he helped me get out of the car and into the Safety Car. He even accompanied me in the Safety Car, since he too needed to get checked on.

I kept apologizing for crashing into him but he brushed it off, saying it was more important that I was okay. I could almost cry from how sweet he was being.

It wasn't a surprise when I saw Lewis waiting for me in the medical wing. What did surprise me was the person beside him, Max.

Before I could say anything, doctors and nurses were pulling me and Lando into a room for check-ups. Luckily, there was nothing major and my pain would easily be treated with some painkillers.

I hugged Lando as a thank you then was bombarded with questions by Lewis, and Carlos who got here as soon as he could. After I calmed them all down and they left, it was just me and Max.

"Thank you for being here." I thanked him.

"There's no need to thank me." He smiled, "I just hope your feeling okay."

"I am." I confirmed with a nod. Some silence followed my words but was quickly interrupted by Max's voice.

"Would you mind if I hug you?" He asked shyly.

"We kissed and made out before, I'm sure hugging is fine." I replied sarcastically.

He chuckled before wrapping his arms around me, his grip was strong, as if this hug was unloading all his anxiety and filling him with safety and comfort. Just like how it felt for me. I felt his shoulders drop and loose the tension that was bottled up inside of him. He pulled away shortly after, not before adding a small forehead kiss and saying, "Even when you nearly died, you still manage to joke."

I shrugged, "What can I say? I'm an optimist."

Max snorted, "Both me and you know that isn't true."

I rolled my eyes at him as I maintained a seriously offended look. The shift of smugness to worry in Max's eyes resulted in me falling into a fit of laughter.

Somehow, even during the hard times, he successfully made me forget all the bad stuff and had the power to make me feel happiness, even when I didn't want to.