Lewis looked at his watch, a bit irritated at the sudden change of plans and now losing more time because they had to wait for the third driver. The noise in the room was growing and though he was a media friendly person, he wanted to get his interview over with.
"Who was coming as well?" he asked Fernando, the man smiling and waving at a journalist before turning his attention to Lewis.
"It's Max," Fernando said, a grin on his face, "we're going to be spared this round,"
Lewis snorted, shaking his head at the older driver.
"As if Max is going to waste too many words on this," Lewis said, knowing the younger driver well enough.
"As long as he doesn't swear," Fernando said, shrugging and then waving to the side where Max just appeared, Brad staying behind out of sight. Lewis immediately sat up a little straighter, glad to see the little and hoping that the interview would go well.
"Here Max, why don't you go in the middle," Lewis said, scooting over to make some place. His caregiver side wanted to have the little close by and protected from the sides against the journalists.
"Thanks," Max said, siting down and hiding a yawn behind his hand.
"So, now we're all here, let's get this round going," one of the staff said, handing them all a microphone, and pointing to the first journalist, eager to ask a question.
"First question, for Max Verstappen," the man began, Max shifting towards the man to better hear the question, "seeing your current little status and the way your father has been banned from your side, how do you see your future with Redbull? I heard there were talks of you going to another team now that you're a little,"
"I've always been a little, mate," Max said, frowning at the question, but earning a laugh from the audience, "and I don't know who you were talking to, but I'm not planning to leave Redbull yet. I don't know if you've heard, but my contract does state a few more years. So, to answer your question: my future with Redbull will be the same as my present with Redbull,"
"Yes, well, seeing your young headspace, how does it combine with training for the races...." The journalist continued, but Max got an annoyed look on his face and interrupted the questions.
"You know, if all questions are going to be in relation with me being a little, then I'll just give you one answer," Max said, sounding irritated, "me and my team have discussed this, nothing changes, and I'll still win races,"
A murmur broke out, and Max frowned, hating the attention everyone put on his little status, and the feeling that he got that the journalist suddenly didn't think him capable anymore, even though it was still him.
It reminded him of when Lando had just started driving in F1 and the amount of doubt he had received about being the first known little in the sports, and how much he had to work to proof himself. It made Max wonder what they reaction would have been had they known from the start.
The youngest driver ever, and a little on top of that.
The journalist looked a little unhappy, and Max saw that he was poised to ask another question, probably trying to get a rise out of him, but before he could speak, Fernando was ruffling his hair.
"Ha, that's our Maxie," Fernando said, with a grin, distracting the audience, "feisty as ever. That certainly hasn't changed,"
"Thanks grampa," Maxie said, smiling back at the other driver, glad to have some support from that angle.
"Grampa?" Lewis asked surprised, a smirk on his face while Fernando grumbled at the name. He had known that it was a possibility that Max would call him that, but he had hoped it wouldn't already be now.
"Yeah, well, he's just a little kid," Fernando said, trying to ignore the reporters in front of them and knowing that the biggest thing that they would withhold from this interview was the fact he had been called grampa. It wasn't a new fact that he was the oldest on the grid, "and wait until you get a title. You're not that much younger,"
"Yeah, sure," Lewis was laughing, even while Max sat up straight, a flush on his cheeks the moment he had realised what he had called Fernando in plain public. When Fernando and Lewis continued bickering and no one called him out on calling Fernando grampa, Max started to relax a little.
The two older drivers seemed to be easily pulling the attention towards them, and each time one of them dared to ask something about any changes seeing Max is a little, either one would jump on the question and it relaxed Max to see how they tried to change the subject or how, Fernando especially, tried to fluster the journalist who asked it.
Half-way through and Max had only answered two more questions, technical in nature, and he could see that the journalist was unhappy about his short answer, but held himself in to ask further, knowing that Max would indulge in answering them and that the other two drivers would deflect the question anyway.
Soon, it seemed as if he was forgotten, and Max got bored, listening to the other two talk. A yawn escaped him, still tired from his interrupted nap. Sitting up a little straighter, so he would keep awake, he let his attention wander for a moment, his eyes coming to rest on Brad.
He saw the caregiver smile at him, and he smiled back, waving. Brad's eyes widened in surprise, but waved back at him, which Max liked.
Putting his thumb in his mouth, he kept an eye on the caregiver, unconsciously leaning against Lewis, another yawn escaping him and the voices were lulling him to sleep. Lewis startled when he felt Max suddenly lean lie against him, and with a frown he looked down at the reclining little.
"Something wrong, Max?" Lewis asked, the little making a small noise, but his eyes were only half open.
"Was napping before," Maxie said, his voice groggy with sleep, "didn't know the interview was early,"
"Oh, we interrupted your nap," a reporter said, writing it down, making Max frown and sit up a bit straighter. He had been lulled in a false feeling of security, but now he was back on alert.
"It happens," Max said evasively, "you guys should stick with your schedule,"
"There was a problem with reservations of the hall," the journalist said, looking at Max with interest, noticing that the driver seemed to have gotten a little more talkative, and guessing that this was the moment to talk, "did your caregiver have trouble waking you up,"
"No," Maxie said with a pout, "he washed my face with cold water,"
"That does help to wake up," the journalist said with a smile, Fernando giving him a threatening look.
"Well, a nap is always nice. I would rather nap instead of answering these pesky questions," Fernando said, earning him a laugh from Lewis and a few journalists. Max giggled as well, leaning a little into Fernando.
"You're funny," the little said with a grin, "Braddy said I get stories if I take a nap,"
"I think we best end this interview soon, so you can finish your nap," Lewis said, glancing at Brad who was starting to look anxious.
"But, I already got my story," Max said with a frown, "and I already napped. Braddy, are you going to make me nap again?"
Max looked at Brad with a frown and a pout, making the caregiver almost melt at the adorable sight. Brad saw the camera's move towards him, and even though he had been in the spotlight before, thanks to Max's career, it was rarely as sudden as this.
"We can just have a quiet evening," Brad said, "and we can do another story without a nap if you want,"
"Oh, we can," Max said, perking up a little, and tugging on Lewis his arm in eagerness, making the driver smile.
"Let's finish this off first," Lewis said, making Max frown and notice the surrounding journalists, who were looking at him with too much interest.
"Oh, right," Max said, shifting uneasily, looking at the crowd, and glancing at Brad desperately. The caregiver frowned, knowing that Max was in headspace. A moment later, he left the backstage, and went to the couch.
"Can I sit next to you, Maxie?" Brad asked, Fernando easily making room for him.
"Yes!" Max said, and for the rest of the interview, the little was glued to his side, answering only the technical questions and trying to ignore the camera angled at him.
"So, that went different than we thought," Fernando said, glad that the room was clearing out. By now, Max was sitting on Brad's lap, his head lying on the man's shoulder, thumb tucked in his mouth and his eyes closed while he snoozed.
Brad softly ran his hands up and down Max's back, happy that the little found comfort in him.
"Yeah," Brad easily agreed, "we didn't know that the interview was moved. The moment I was informed, we moved right over,"
"Well, I don't think your team is going to make that mistake again," Lewis said, trying to glance at Max, "best put him in bed for a little while longer. Is it going to work out, with free practice 1 and 2 tomorrow?"
"It should be. He'll have to nap at the paddock, but in between there should be more than enough time," Brad said, getting up and lifting Max with him, who grumbled but easily settled again.
Max woke up feeling confused. He frowned and when he sat up, he was more than surprised to be lying in the crib.
"Oh, good, the interview was a dream," Max muttered to himself rubbing his hands over his face.
"Max, are you awake?" Brad asked, his voice soft when he opened the door slightly.
"Yeah, I am," Max called out, blinking when the light turned on suddenly, "is it almost time for the interview?"
"Max, we already done that, don't you remember?" Brad asked, looking slightly worried, and Max's eyes widened.
"That wasn't a dream?" he asked, feeling slightly panicked, "but....I called Fernando grampa!"
"Yeah, you did. You got to come and see the memes," Brad said with a smile, lowering the side of the crib, "are you wet?"
Max looked dumbfounded at the caregiver, who felt his crotch and then ushered him to the bed to change the wet diaper.
"Just memes? Nothing too bad or anything?" Maxie asked when Brad undid the tabs of the diapers and folded it away from his front.
"Well, you always got some who can make everything seem like a disaster, but nothing more than usual," Brad said, smiling when he wiped Maxie, before adding a new layer of the salve. Max was so occupied with his thoughts that he even forgot to complain.
Brad showed him the animal on the diaper, and Max gave a sound of affirmation, letting the caregiver do his thing.
"Brad?" Max asked, making the caregiver look at him, just having closed the tabs and now running his fingers along the leg holes for a snug fit.
"Yes Max?" Brad asked.
"Can I still have my story, even though I'm big?"
"Of course you can," Brad said with a chuckle.