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The Second Seat

750 words

When Daniel leaves, Max really doesn't care who replaces him. Well, takes his seat. No one can replace him.

It's Pierre, which is fine. It's whatever. Max doesn't care. He's too tired to care.

He's fine with Pierre. They karted together back in the day. There's one particularly embarrassing incident where Max remembers messing up on the track and looking up from his father's lesson to see Pierre staring at him with his mouth open.

Max had been scared back then. Scared that Pierre would tell someone and get them in trouble. But there was also a part of him that hoped. Hoped that this time when someone saw it would make a difference. Make things better, not worse.

But of course nothing had come of it. Life moved on as always.

So Max wasn't worried that Pierre would find out. He didn't expect him to ask any questions when Max's exhaustion from yet another night spent trying to please Christian. He had been worried with Daniel. That he would notice the signs and go to the FIA or Dietrich or, worse, Christian. But he never had. Which was a good thing really.

Really it was.

But that didn't matter anymore because Daniel was gone and Pierre was good at keeping quiet. (Max wonders briefly if Christian chose him for exactly that reason.)

It's different with Alex.

With Pierre, Max had always gotten the feeling that he didn't particularly like him. He wasn't openly hostile. It wasn't like with Lewis or Nico, but he clearly didn't love having Max around. (Probably a trait picked up by spending too much time with Charles).

But Max likes Alex and Alex seems to at least not hate Max. And really that's too much to ask for most of the time.

The mid season swap stresses him out.

It was a decision that Christian had not run by him whatsoever. Which... that was probably normal. But Christian tended to keep Max informed. It was one of the few perks of it all. Knowing what was going on in the team. Because Christian liked to talk and Max was there so he might as well know what was going on.

Probably a power play. That made the most sense. As if getting rid of Daniel wasn't disorienting enough. But the midseason swap reminded Max of things. And he wonders Christian's intentions. Because Max had been a midseason swap. And the reason for that had been abundantly clear.

He waits for it.

Waits for Alex to be called instead of him. Waits to be dismissed early from the meeting so that Christian can talk to Alex in private.

He waits but it never comes.

And as the season continues, Max is still the one called late at night. He's still the one kept behind after team meetings. He's still the one slipped a second hotel keycard late at night after a particularly bad race.

It's a relief. Kind of.

After all, Max is special. He's always been told this. To find out suddenly that he's not, that Christian would take any young driver who can keep up with the midfield, would hurt. And he wouldn't want that for Alex. It would be worse if it was happening to someone else. Max is used to it. He knows how to turn off his brain and let everything happen without thinking too much on it. Alex wouldn't know how to do that. So Max is relieved. (He ignores the disappointment because that would be cruel and stupid because Max is special and if he doesn't stay special then what's even the point?)

Thankfully Alex doesn't notice anything either. At this point it's clear that Max is the favorite so it all makes sense to an outside viewer. (Favorite is right they just don't realize all that it entails.)

But the pressure is building. Christian is starting to get angrier. Tension is building. Alex is getting ignored and scolded at the same time. Max wonders when the breaking point will be and what the outcome will be.

And when Alex is moved to reserve and Checo, experienced and too old and too experienced (and not at all Christian's type), Max is secretly glad. He'll miss Alex of course, but there will be less to hide. Less to worry about. Checo can take the heat of the seat and Christian can focus on Max and his championship bid.