Maeve
"So you want me to actually drive? I'm not sitting second?"
Christian Horner was currently sitting on the couch in my suite with a glass of water in his hand staring at me.
Imagine my surprise when Christina knocked on my door just moments after my shower. He was the last person I wanted to see after being proven correct this week that the issue needed to be fixed, it just needed some work. It would've been easier to let two cars die in practice and be allowed to work on both of them than only have one to experiment on and have the other die in the race. He had denied me the opportunity and gone as far as to show up in my drivers room to read me the riot act when I tried to get Simon on my side to have the changes made. It was because "They didn't look promising enough" and "just in case" it didn't work. It was bull shit. I found the problem and I knew how to solve it. There were just tweaks that had to be made.
"No. It has become obvious to the team and all the strategists that you have a more aggressive nature and we need that at this point. You're second in the championship with two races completed. It is imperative that you are driving as if you were a single competitor and not second to Daniel." I licked my lips as I stared at Christian from the seat across the coffee table from him.
"Daniel has the pace though. He would've placed higher than me today if the engine issue had been corrected in his car as well." I reminded him in the most professional 'I told you so' way I could, still upset that my corrections had not been made to the team's second car. That was putting it lightly.
"We understand, but now things have changed. As I told you in the paddock this week, you are now a driver and engineer. Part of being a driver is driving. I need you to be Max, not his seat holder." I sat back and rubbed the back of my neck.
He was putting me between a rock and a hard place. My allegiance should lie with Daniel. I'm only here because of him. The team was my job though. Christian had to see how ridiculous it was that he asked this of me.
"I don't want to do that, Christian. Daniel wants the WDC. I'm not here for a WDC." Christian shook his head. He didn't even try and see how insane this was.
"I don't care what either of you want. My job is to do what is best for the team. You will do this or I can find someone else." I scoffed, sitting forward and throwing my hands up in outrage.
"You told me the other two aren't ready for the promotion. Go ahead and pull Gasly into this, he'll fold in two races." I shook my head, knowing that I was correct. Christian knew how to piss me off though, the trigger words to make it clear that his way was the way things would be done.
"At least he'll try." That made me stare at Christian with the least amount of emotion I possibly could.
"I always try Christian, but I won't take a championship from someone that deserves it." Christian sighed and stood from his seat, leaving his glass on the table.
"Then you go back to the factory if you cannot see past your friendship with Daniel. You two are competitors now and teammates. If you cannot drive as the competitor when the time comes, then you leave."
He didn't let me say anything as he left my room with the threat of me leaving. All I could do was sit back and lay my arms on the armrests of the chair and throw my head back as I groaned. Daniel did want a championship. I'd take one if given to me, but I was simply a placeholder. If we could get the issues with the car worked out, we were capable of winning a few races this year and a championship was entirely possible. My best friend wanted that.
A knock on the door pulled me from the minor existential crisis I was having. I wanted it to not be who I thought it was, but opening it to Daniel's concerned face was the last thing I needed right now. He had already seen me pissed off enough this week and I didn't feel like extending that image in his mind.
"What are you doing? They're celebrating you downstairs and you're up here?" I set my lips in a straight line and opened the door wider. He clearly had been intending to celebrate my podium as he was dressed in ripped skinny jeans and his so called Gucci party shirt with his checkered authentic vans. He looked good dressed down, not that I couldn't appreciate him in a suit...
"I was looking at your data from the race. I'm sorry about your car." He shrugged as he entered my room and I closed the door.
"Mate, you got second today. You should be celebrating." I sighed as I plopped down on the couch next to Daniel as he had made himself at home, his feet going up on the coffee table. I situated myself in the corner with my legs folded under myself.
"I just don't feel like being around everyone today. I am exhausted from this week and I had to get that thesis shit done." Daniel nodded a few times, thinking about something, and picked up the remote. He turned the TV on and opened the On Demand app.
"Well, I guess this calls for a movie night then. What are you feeling? Something old or something new?" I wanted to roll my eyes at my best friend, but a chill night in with some beers and a movie sounded wonderful. If we both just wanted to relax, neither of us would dare bring up the actions that happened this week and that was something I was completely ok with.
"Gimme something inspiring Joseph. I'll get the beers." He nodded as he flipped through the pay per view movie options on the TV. We had very similar taste in music and movies, it was part of the reason we talked so much. Our only difference was that he didn't care for Marvel movies and I was a die hard Marvel fan.
"They have National Treasure!" I laughed as I walked back over with four beers in hand, knowing damn well that we would need more once he said that.
"If we're watching National Treasure, we're playing the drinking game too." He groaned.
We had made up a drinking game for this just the second time we ever hung out. It had led us to a black out of a night and a crazy phone call of us going missing. In reality, we had drunkenly decided to go and hop on the train from Boston to New York City to see the city. I had only been. once and Daniel had never been due to his busy schedule. Michael nearly called the police until my roommate checked my location and called us the next morning asking where we were. Explaining that we were nursing hangovers while exploring Time Square with Starbucks in our hands was a stretch that no one expected, but that couldn't beat the night we had pretending we were in the movie and trying to find clues like they did in the movie. Michael died laughing when I told him we shouted at the Wall Street bull to tell us where the treasure was at 7 PM to the point people thought we were homeless and crazy. We only got away without a public intoxication charge because the cop was an F1 fan.
"I don't want a hangover for a flight tomorrow." I scoffed.
"It's my party and I'll die if I want to." Daniel let out a deep sigh at my words, but hit play anyways. He knew now that I was in a mood and I didn't really care what happened if we started drinking. I needed to let off some steam and our ridiculous drinking game seemed like the perfect plan.
"Fine, but not the extreme version." I frowned at him as I sat on the couch facing him.
"What's the fun if you don't drink when they say 'treasure?'' Giving him the best puppy dog eyes I could, he folded. With a major groan, he clinked his glass with mine.
"You are batshit insane, D. I'm calling for some red on your dime." Daniel leaned over the arm of the couch for the phone and called down to room service as the storm played on stage.
"Yes!" I squealed and threw my hands up and around his neck.
"Let go of me, woman! I'm trying to enjoy my night! Not die in some freak hugging accident." I sat back and glared at Daniel. Honestly, being held in someone's arms would feel good right about now.
Since coming to terms with my feelings about Daniel, dating had been hard. I found myself comparing anyone that dared ask me out to Daniel in every way I could. Be it looks, actions, or even the way they would touch me if we made it past a meal, no one could make me feel at home the way he could when I was in his arms. I rejected enough guys halfway through having my clothes removed to know that I had it bad for the man in front of me. To the point I couldn't form a connection with anyone else even if I wanted to.
"God, it was a hug. Don't be rude, Ricciardo." I said his name with the proper Italian pronunciation. He ignored me though as he clearly had someone from room service on the line and didn't actually want to be rude to them.
While he ordered whatever he wanted, I sat back and watched the movie. While science and math were always my wheelhouse, I had a very deep love for history and what it could teach us. I felt like I could never learn enough about it and movies like this fueled that fascination. Daniel was always a good sport over the ridiculous movie choices I had. I was certainly the reason he knew all the words to Bring It On, but the best part was that any movie we knew well had a drinking game attached to it. We'd end up smashed by ourselves frequently and that was usually how our trouble started.
Which was no different this time. Or at first light I thought, at least.
Waking up the next morning was a swift kick in the ass for me. The light coming through the curtains made my brain feel like it was being lit on fire by a welding torch. I couldn't help but groan as I tried to turn over in bed, but something was holding me to the mattress.
"Stop moving, my head hurts too much for awake." I blinked a few times, my hand coming up to try and protect my eyes from the sun.
"What are you doing Daniel? This isn't your room." I realized now what position we were in. We were on the couch still, but I was laid down in front of Daniel with him holding me against him so my back was to his front. His back was to the back of the couch and there were pillows all over the floor along with some of the down feathers from one of them. He was much warmer than I thought and I couldn't help the warmth rising to my cheeks as I realized he had taken his shirt off somehow in our drunken haze.
"Shhhhh. Go back to sleep." Daniel's hand came up to cover my face in an attempt to shut me up.
"Daniel, get the fuck up." I groaned as I tried to sit up, but his grip tightened. It made my heartbeat faster as I settled into his warmth, noting just how nicely I fit in his arms and against him.
"No. It's an off day and I'm hungover because of you. Let me sleep." I yelped as Daniel flipped us over, taking me with him as he turned to sandwich me between the back of the couch and his body.
His arms were around my waist, as my shirt had ridden up in our sleep his hands were flat against either side of my body. It was providing me with more warmth than I cared to admit. My breath hitched in my throat as Daniel sleepily started to rub circles into my sides with the thumbs of each of his hands. Even though this was far from the first time this had happened between the two of us, normally I could run away the next day and pretend it didn't. Today, we had to be on the same flight to China. With the monster hangover I had growing, I didn't dare try and yell though.
"Go back to sleep, D. We have hours before our flight and I want to sleep off this hangover for as long as possible..." Daniel's sleepy voice was in my ear before I felt his breathing even out as he fell back to sleep. The breath hitting my ear made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as we laid there, making me nervous that my involuntary reactions to him were going to make the carefully constructed wall I had built for myself against the man holding me give way.
Even in his sleep, he managed to pull me tighter though. Something I couldn't break out of if I tried. Lucky for me, Exhaustion took over soon after as I hadn't had a goodnight's sleep in a few days because of all the work I had been putting in on top of the orders Horner had given me.
"Get up!" My limbs flailed wildly as someone is yelling at me in my room. It felt like I had just fallen asleep to thoughts of Christian chastising me when someone was suddenly screaming to wake both Daniel and I up.
"You guys were supposed to leave for your flight an hour ago!" I pushed up and accidentally knocked the body behind me to the ground. I could apologize to Daniel later, but being late for a flight was a big no no with this team.
"Huh? Flight?" Daniel's head popped up from the floor as he looked around for the irate voice that was currently chastising the two of us. His unruly curls were in every direction and his eyes were bloodshot as they met mine, I was certain mine were the same by how dry and itchy they were.
"Yes, Daniel. Flight. As in to China which is now delayed because of you two!" I blinked a few times before I noticed that Charlotte, Daniel's PR, was the one currently yelling at the two of us. She looked beyond confused and upset as she stared at the two of us barely awake individuals. Should I say grown adults that needed handlers apparently.
"I've been looking everywhere for you. Luckily, your teammate here added me to her Instagram so I could see that the two of you had been drinking all night and having pillow fights like five year olds!" Charlotte was definitely pissed and my ass was kicked into high gear as I practically flew over the back of the couch and into the bedroom to change and grab my stuff.
"Downstairs in ten, Maeve! Do not make me come back up here!" The door slammed as I was frantically throwing things in my suitcase. The silence told me she took the very hungover Daniel with her to grab his own things.
I begrudgingly changed into a pair of white leggings, one of Daniel's black team hoodies I had stolen forever ago, and my vans before throwing my hair up into a messy bun. All of my clothes were haphazardly thrown into my suitcase and I double checked for all my essentials before leaving the room. It was different when you didn't have three people to assist you. I had a large rolling duffel bag, a second rolling metal case for my gear, my backpack for work and school, my team bag, my helmet bag as I only had one currently, and a smaller duffel with some press stuff they had given me. It was a nightmare to lug to the car, but Michael saw me first as I entered the lobby.
"Jesus, Maeve. Just leave some of it with Hospo!" I groaned as my sunglasses slipped down my face when Michael grabbed my rolling bags from me. He was nice enough to help me untangle myself from the four bags I was wearing so he could place one on my metal rolling case and a second on the handle of my rolling duffle bag.
"Not an option." I wanted to groan as my own voice still made my head rumble.
"Here," Michael reached into his bag and pulled out a small baggie of what looked like vitamins," Take two now and two when you're off the flight. You and Daniel both look worse for wear this morning." I gave him a small smile to show my appreciation as we walked outside. He even had an extra water bottle for me.
"Gimme your stuff and get in, I'll take care of it." Another small smile was given to the taller man before I hopped in the large SUV.
Daniel was already asleep in the back row and I was quick to join him in dreamland on the 45 minute ride to the airport. No one else chastised us as we got situated on the plane with Daniel and I in the back row of the private jet. Instead, Michael came over with two mystery smoothies and two waters before everyone left us alone. It was rare to see drivers be less than responsible like we had, but I had a feeling the Red Bull team was giving us a reprieve due to how crazy things had been for us in the last few weeks. Plus, we had delivered results they liked.
"Maeve?" I looked to my left as we were getting ready for take off to see Daniel barely awake, but looking at me over his sunglasses as he rested his head against the right side of the plush headrest.
"You good?" He asked after my attention was on him. As much as it could be as I was still barely awake as well.
"Hungover. Extremely hungover." He chuckled and nodded to that before clearing his throat.
"No, I mean like in general...You've been pretty pissed for a few days. I get wanting a day in too, but you should always celebrate your wins..." He bit his lip as he looked away, seemingly very nervous.
The events of this week came flooding back then. The whole reason why I didn't want to celebrate was because I didn't want to see Daniel. I didn't want to accidentally spill the beans on what Christian had ordered of me. Part of me was worried that if I followed those orders, I would lose my best friend. I would lose him again though if I didn't do my job though because Christian would force me to leave and my seat would go to someone else. The other part had been the pure frustration at the team not even giving Daniel the chance by not following my directives, stating that they were doing it as a just in case wasn't good enough for me. They had cost Daniel a podium this week and I would fight anyone that stated otherwise.
"I didn't want to celebrate with anyone. I was plenty happy with our movie night." He chuckled then and threw his arm around my shoulders, bringing me closer to him.
"Then that can be our new thing. Movie nights, preferably with less of a hangover after..." I smiled as I wrapped my right arm around his chest in an awkward side hug that left my left arm uncomfortably sandwiched between us.
"Oh uh..." He cleared his throat as I pulled back a bit and looked at his face," I don't know what they said to you. Just know that you're my best mate and I'll always have your back. I'm always here if you need someone to talk to..." His voice was just above a whisper as he spoke to me, the guilt immediately chipping away at the warm feeling in my chest that his words gave me. All I could do was lay my head on his shoulder again.
"I'm serious, D. You've never shut me out like this before and I'm worried." He pulled me closer and rested his right hand on the back of my head while his left sat again on my waist. It was weird to have him hold me like this, but god did it feel good. No part of me was ok with the fact that I was lying to him.
"You need time and that's ok, but I'll be here... when you're ready..." After a few moments, I realized I needed to give him an answer.
"Dan, I-" I looked up at his face and realized that he had already fallen asleep. It was his hangover response. Sleep it off and then you can't feel any pain.
I wondered if the same idea worked for pain in the heart, if it worked to clear guilt.
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Sorry for the delay! We had a busy week here. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think! 💜