Dodging the Heat (Year 1)

T'is the season, t'is the end

"I feel like I'm at the principals' office," Laura mutters curling her fingers tightly, so she didn't start taking her worry out on her nails. While she was seated, Sebastian was standing opposite, leaning against a wall looking a little calmer than she felt.

They'd been ordered to Austria post Brazil by Christian. She figured it wasn't enough to be told off by Christian for their tardiness in Brazil and now they had to face Dietrich Mateschitz. She begins biting at a thumb nail.

"I'm sure he wants to congratulate us in person for winning the Constructors," Sebastian tells her.

"Do you think he has Instagram?"

"Of course not," Sebastian tells her, but his calm façade fades a little. "It's not about that otherwise Daniel would be here as well."

Laura huffs wincing as she tears a chunk of nail a little too deep. "If we get a lecture and he's not here to suffer with us..." She looks at her thumb and goes to try and neaten it with her teeth before Sebastian strides over and sits down, grabbing her hand holding it tightly in his.

"He's going to tell us how wonderful we've been," Sebastian assures her.

"It's not fair. You don't have a contract that can be torn up," she mutters.

"That's a good point," he grins at her and she glares at him. He lifts her hand up and looks at her thumb. "You haven't done this since Australia," he comments.

She immediately stiffens, going rigid next to him but if he notices he says nothing. She pulls her hand back from his grip.

"One more race Aston and then we're free of each other."

She looks over at him. "No, not quite." She was wondering if at this point they'd ever be free of each other – they'd still be fighting each other next year; different colours didn't change that fact.

"Well, there will be a whole lot less of each other."

She smiles and sighs loudly, "Bliss." Less was definitely better.

He grins but whatever he was going to comment is lost when Dietrich appears, but the broad smile he wore at the sight of them halts her thumb returning to her mouth. So, they're not here about their drunken adventures in Texas.

They're offered their congratulations in person, invited to a dinner with Dietrich and close personal friends. And no matter how politely and dazzling the invitation is framed, it was nothing more than a sponsor like event where her and Sebastian were the entertainment – ready to smile and dazzle. She shouldn't care, not when this could have gone much worse. She can do one impromptu dinner.

Laura hangs back as the group moves ahead. Dietrich was giving a tour of the hangars with his very important guests, but what she wanted was a more hands on experience. She sips at her wine casually as she walks backwards and out of sight.

"Aston," Sebastian raised his eyebrows at her, "You coming?"

She pushes her finger to her lips and shakes her head.

"What are you doing?" Sebastian asks moving after her trying to decide if he was going to be annoyed or interested.

"I want to get in the plane," she tells him looking at the different aircraft that surrounds them.

"Don't be stupid, come on." He reaches for her hand and she immediately turns and starts weighing up which one she could actually get into since no one had left a ladder around for her.

"Aston," Sebastian hisses after her. "You cannot be serious."

"Run along Sebastian," she calls back to him waving at him to turn around.