A/N: Helloooo again. Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I caught something this week and haven't been feeling the greatest. Here's the next chapter! let me know what you think with a comment or a vote! Also, I will be going back to edit this story in the coming weeks. Just to bring the chapters up to the level or writing I personally like.
Enjoy and good luck to your team(but mostly Daniel) in the race this weekend!
Daniel
Maeve stuck to her word and went to see Christian first thing while I did some stuff with our marketing and content team. Christian said exactly what Maeve thought he would, that the FIA would not allow it if they caught wind. He did offer to fit some time in for machining if she needed it though. She agreed to that if he could ship the parts if needed. That piqued his interest apparently, but she didn't give him any information past that. Simply, she told him that she was looking at her options if she wasn't needed in the factory.
Christian was a wise man, if only to be the man controlling the puppet strings. He would see where she was, but we didn't need him asking any unknown questions until we knew what we were doing.
"He wants to know if I made a decision," She told me as we sat in the press conference. Having been in the top 6 post FP2, they had us in the press conference again. This time, we sat together in the top row with Kimi occupying the last seat," He said it will change where he asks me to be for summer break." Her words were whispered and she was covering her mouth so no one could see it. We also didn't need any rumors with the press. There were plenty of those already.
"Well have you put any thought into it? You've been doing very well..." She shook her head at my inquiry.
"I haven't had time after what happened this week. Do you think I could hold them off until summer break?" I shook my head truthfully.
"No, he's going to want an answer so he can swipe you from anyone else."
I made sure to keep my voice down and cover my mouth as well. My tone of voice alone would be considered questionable at best. With my options considered, I had to announce soon that I'd be leaving the team. Christian was probably growing nervous, eager to make sure that Max was partnered with someone that could stay at his level. His options in his head were Maeve or me and I knew that very well. The Toro Rosso boys were good, but they weren't ready. Daniil wasn't going to get that seat back regardless.
"We're ready to start." The host said, making us both pick up our microphones as if we weren't having a serious conversation.
"We'll talk later." She said as we both went into the press conference for the first time since Canada.
I could tell she was a bit on edge, especially with me immediately next to her. Charlotte had already warned me that I needed to cool it or else I would be in a lot of trouble. She didn't want another outburst and after hearing about Maeve's trouble's at school, I wouldn't dare say anything again though. Guilt crept up in my chest at just the thought of what she went through. Despite her best efforts to assure me that it wasn't my fault, I'd always feel somewhat responsible for her feeling unsafe at her school. That was a place she loved, learning is something she loved. Having any part in losing that safe space would always make me feel terrible. My way of apologizing was giving her a new safe space to learn in. Opening my new home up to my best friend was the least I could do to make up for it.
Maeve saw it as me offering a helping hand. Which it absolutely was, but she couldn't know that it partially came from a place of guilt. To her, it would be distrustful for me to lie about my intentions even if it was a minuscule part of the reason I had offered my home to her. I was simply protecting her though. Something that I had failed to do in Canada and Monaco. That wouldn't happen again.
"Alright, first question for Daniel and Maeve," I saw her visibly stiffen as the MC went straight into press questions, awaiting the worst in this situation," We are at your home in the Red Bull Ring this weekend. How important is the weekend for you?" I chuckled uneasily, but took on answering first as I looked at the journo that asked.
"Massively of course. We always want to do our best when we're at Red Bull's home." My answer was simple and to the point. It left the door open for Maeve to follow up with her own input.
"It kinda sucks though, because I'd hate to beat him on his birthday." The whole room laughed as Maeve fired at me first. Turning to her, I scoffed.
"If you did, I'd return the favor for yours." A smaller round of laughter came through at my response, making us laugh together. She broke it off first to give her real answer.
"In all seriousness, of course it's a majorly important weekend for us. We're both doing very well in the standings at this point and the car is starting to really come together. It'll be a big showing for us as individuals and us as a team. Something I am very much looking forward to." She smiled at the crowd after giving her answer. I smiled because I was happy that she was giving very confident and professional answers after the last press conference didn't exactly go the way she had hoped.
"And Maeve, do you know what your plans for next year are yet?" She pursed her lips and looked at the back of the room. My eyes followed hers to where her team stood along the wall. My team was next to hers as well, waiting in case we said anything we shouldn't or needed help with anything. A single nod from Angela had me wondering what they had been speaking about. For her to have something to be okayed like that, it had to be previously discussed.
"Well, I am contracted with Red Bull as an Engineer and aerodynamicist until the 2020 season. I plan to uphold that contract." It was short, simple, and it was the first time she had brought up her work on her own ever in a press conference. Angela had felt the pressure on her shoulders and discussed her answer to the question with Maeve. They were trying to quiet and dispel any rumors of team Red Bull losing yet another star driver.
"Last one for Maeve," She shifted in her seat now, she was uncomfortable with all of the attention and I was hoping that it would only be positive. All I wanted to do was reach out for her hand though, something I couldn't dare do while we were in front of a camera," I read through some of your papers that you've published. You do have quite the brilliant mind when it comes to engineering, yet your full time title with Red Bull leads us to believe that you work more on the aerodynamics side. Is there a reason for that?"
Maeve smiled, it was genuine and something I hadn't seen her give if she was asked a direct question by the press ever. This was a small win for me, seeing her happy even in all the shit that was going on in our lives.
"Well first, thank you for reading those. They cost decent money and we appreciate every penny we can get in academia." The room laughed at that as she leaned on the table," It was actually chance. While I work more in engine development and getting cars working internally for my degree, there's a lot of interest on how certain things can inactively effect the way a car is able to move. I do, or rather did, work on many aspects of the car when it came to both sides. My full time position simply requires me to work on the aerodynamics side of things in the factory."
Things shifted then to the others in the press conference and I think we all felt the same relief when they moved on from Maeve. It meant no outbursts and certainly no drama for one weekend. I was dealing with other issues, like forcing myself not to stare at Maeve in awe as she now had a huge smile on her face. Clearly, she enjoyed being asked a nice question about her work and I could only imagine how in-depth she would go if given the chance.
After we were excused, Seb pulled her aside while I was speaking with Valtteri and Lewis.
"looks like your little speech worked." Lewis commented as we watched Seb and Maeve speak privately off to the side. She was still smiling, but Seb looked a bit more concerned. The conversation was very animated and interesting enough that they didn't see us all staring.
"Yeah, but let's give them a few tries before we give them the win on that one. They've crossed lines before after a brief reprieve.'' They both nodded to my response as Kimi walked up to us. It was known all too well that the press was happy to overstep. It seemed that they forgot we were humans and not robots.
"How was LA for you two? She was pretty upset with you..." Kimi asked, very bluntly.
"Not great honestly," That was the truth, they didn't know what exactly had happened the week before," She doesn't want to hit me over the head with a wrench anymore at least."
They laughed at that. There was plenty of truth behind the statement though. If things had gone different we would all be in a very different place. They had no idea just how close we had been to burning up. Instead, I now had a diamond in the rough to nurture. We had stepped into new territory in private and we weren't willing to give away the details.
"I don't think it was that bad..." Valtteri smiled before taking a sip of his coffee.
"No it was. I shouldn't have said anything honestly and it is already costing her something." They waited for me to continue after that, but it wasn't my place to tell them what had been going on with her and her school. I stared at her then, her conversation with Seb clearly finished as they hugged before walking towards us.
"Straighten up boys, she hits people with wrenches." Valtteri said it just in time for her to hear and us all to laugh.
"That was one time and if Daniel is going to keep telling people that, he needs to give the full story. Which is that he threw the wrench first thinking he was in dodgeball after a few too many and I simply returned the favor a little higher than anticipated." Everyone laughed as I covered my face.
"You make me sound like a drunk, D." She shrugged.
"Because you are outside of work Daniel." Seb added, making us all laugh again.
"So is she! Why doesn't she get the same shit I do?" I asked, pointing at my secret girlfriend, who now had a glint in her eye as she smirked at me.
"Clearly, I'm just the better half. Also the better looking one, the smarter one, the better driver..." She ticked off the reasons on each finger before the guys all ooooh'ed around us. I rolled my eyes, making sure the annoyance showed through to everyone. Little did she know that I agreed with her statement as a whole and its double connotation for my ears only.
"What a way to treat the birthday boy on his birthday weekend. I better be getting a really good gift." The guys laughed, but she shrugged.
"Your birthday is this weekend?" She winked at me as the guys laughed some more.
Yet, my mind was elsewhere. We always celebrated, but now it was different. Was I putting pressure on her to get a good gift for me? All I really wanted to do was be with her. My birthday felt like the perfect excuse to go out together without it being odd. We could drink the night away like old times and fall into bed holding each other. Whispers of the future together would be the best birthday present in my eyes. Someone else speaking brought me out of the happy ideas for tomorrow though.
"Alright you two. We have debrief." Charlotte and Angela came up to claim Maeve and I. They were both carrying a file folder and I knew it was time to go. Seems Maeve and I were on the same wavelength yet again.
"Aye aye captain." We both said in unison before saluting the two.
"It's freaky that you two are that in sync sometimes..." Seb commented as we walked away.
Debrief was normal, just some small comments here and there before we were excused for the night. I'd be lying if I said I just wanted to sleep after everything that happened in the last few days anyways, thankful for a short meeting. Maeve still had to update me on what had happened with Christian and we had plans to make. Yet, my body seemed a bit weary as we finally made it to the hotel, not ready for any conversations.
"So, is this about your decision for next year?" I asked her as we walked into the room. I may be tired, but I wanted to know what happened.
We both went into the bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. Her suitcase sat in the corner between the wall at the foot of the bed and the door to the balcony on a table. While mine had been hazardously placed on the suitcase stand in front of the wall opposite of the door between the door to the room and the door to the bathroom.
"I did make a decision." I stopped digging through my suitcase and turned to her, double surprised when she was standing in front of the balcony door in her team polo and no pants. She wasn't looking at me as she held up a shirt to look at, a white shirt with the vans logo on it that I am pretty sure actually belonged to me. Not that it matters since she seems to just take all of my clothes as is. She was my girlfriend now though, she wouldn't be hiding that she's been stealing my things anymore nor would I ask her to.
"Well," I cleared my throat as I turned away from her. She didn't need me ogling her as she was just trying to get to sleep for the night," What decision is that?" I bit my lip as I dug through my suitcase. Even my polite attempt at giving her modesty felt wrong. I shouldn't be staring at her like that, it was rude and unbecoming. So I busied myself with looking at my own clothing in my hands, not even sure I could put together anything remotely passing as an outfit for the public right now with my mind elsewhere.
I was startled out of my thoughts when her arms wrapped around my waist. The clothes slipped through my fingers back into the messy bag in favor of my hands resting gently over hers. Her cheek was against my shoulder as she hugged me from behind, not paying any mind to us both trying to get some actual sleep for the race tomorrow.
"Don't get shy on me, you've seen me in much less." I chuckled at her words, it came out forced and dry. I had been caught and she was more than happy to play into that at her leisure.
"Well it's different now..." She didn't say anything at first. Her hands fisted into my shirt, bunching the material as if she was trying to hold me in place forever.
"Is that why you picked out that sad excuse for a bikini in Monaco?" A real laugh escaped my lips this time. That may not have been my goal when I originally picked up the skimpy material all those weeks ago. It had worked in my favor though, giving me an incredible view for a day of fun.Now was different though and I wanted her to know that. Turning in her arms, I wrapped mine around her shoulders and brushed my fingers over the material on her back.
"You and I both know that was the least revealing thing in that shop. I mean who travels like we do without a bathing suit?" She was still in her team polo with no pants on, not helping my mind. I stared down at her, waiting for a response to my taunt.
"The ones that sat in front of a computer screen and don't have free time. Sorry, I was trying to make your car driveable." Instead of responding, I leaned down and gave her a kiss. It was soft and leisurely as she let my lips slide against hers for the briefest of moments before pulling away.
"I will always appreciate all of your hard work. I just don't appreciate your lack of items packed for a trip." She rolled her eyes.
"It was for work, Daniel. I will pack more for Perth..."
There was no stopping the way my face lit up at her words. The conversation she had with Christian this morning had been the final thing she needed to get approval to spend the time off in my hometown. My mind was already picturing her in my home for the first time. She'd enjoy the expanse of the garage, where she would be spending most of her time anyways. The image of me walking into the garage carrying lunch for her to take a break. In my head, she smiled as she dropped the ratchet in her hand to reach out for me as soon as I entered the warm space. It was domestic and new for me, but god I couldn't wait for it to be a reality.
"You're for sure doing it? No backing out or anything?" She smiled back as I moved my hands to gently caress her face.
"Yep, I am all yours from July 30th to August 21st. Better make them count, Ricciardo." I just laughed at that before leaning down to give her a kiss. This one was more passionate and full of happiness that she was fully accepting of as she smiled against my face.
"I will do my best. I hope you realize this means I finally get to do the one thing I've always wanted to do with you." She eyes me suspiciously as I pull away from her, but I only laughed.
"We're going dirt bike racing on the farm. I'll invite some of the boys over and we'll make a family day out of it." She smiled.
In all of our years of being friends and traversing the globe to spend time together, we had never been dirt bike riding together. She always said it was the thing she wanted to try, but time made that hard. Exhaustion also made it hard. Between my career and hers with her school work, half the time we spent together was easily lounging in whatever room we called ours for the night. That would be a thing of the past after this break.
"I think I can take one day off during the build..."
That made me smile as her arms pulled away from me. Out of courtesy, I let her step back. This time I didn't hide the way my eyes raked over her body. She worked hard on it, something we all had to do as drivers for the sport. She was my own personal goddess though and she knew it. The smirk on her face told me that my reaction was what she wanted, something that sent blinding white heat through my chest. She was quick to move her hands back up to my neck, looking me in the eyes once more before pulling me down for a kiss. It was short lived, she pulled away again and moved her hands to lay flat against my chest.
"Oh and you're busy Sunday night." She spoke suddenly while giving me a gentle pat on my chest and finally stepping completely away from me.
"Oh no you don't," I tightened my grip to prevent her from walking away. Now I was intrigued," what plans did you make?" She shrugged, a sly smirk resting on her lips as I cradled her close again.
"I made no plans, except making sure you get silver. We have to celebrate my win, remember?" I wanted to scoff, the competitiveness between the two of us would always be present. It was something I cherished greatly. I couldn't let her win that easily. My mind was already set on a different idea though.
"That's such a rude birthday present. Like what if I just want to skip the race and spend all day in bed with my girlfriend?"
A blush came to her face and to mine. Her's at the connotation of my words. Me because I realized that those words sounded the opposite of what I wanted it to mean. The awkward pause that followed made us both blush deeper before I cleared my throat to break the tension that had suddenly appeared in the room. Maeve took it as a chance to remove herself from my arms. There was another light tap to my chest as she chuckled.
"Your girlfriend has to work on Sundays. Maybe next year when your birthday is later in the week we can try for that..." She gave me another kiss before stepping away, letting us both change before getting into bed that night.
Maeve settled in first, plopping down unceremoniously in the middle of the bed before turning her head to look at me as she propped herself up a bit with the pillows. She had changed into short shorts and the same oversized shirt that had been in her hands when we first tried to change. I was only in workout shorts, plugging my phone in as she stared at me. She knew I could feel her stare, but didn't speak as I finished my routine. When I was done it was a different story though.
She looked at me expectantly as I stared at her in the bed with my hands dangling at my sides. It wasn't awkward, but I felt myself staring back at her with the same longing glance. She still didn't speak though. The only motion was her arms reaching up at me. The motion seemed like something you'd expect from a toddler reaching for their mother, needy and clearly expressing what they wanted. Carefully, I maneuvered myself onto the bed before her arms wrapped around my neck. She pulled me against her chest, my head resting on her right shoulder as she bent her legs. My body fell between them, wrapping my arms around her waist as she held me close so I could return the favor.