Before "Hello" 🏁 KA12
@ellaonpole on tumblr !
pairing : andrea kimi antonelli × fem!reader
genre : formula one, soulmate au, fluff, hurt/comfort, slow burn, strangers to lovers
warnings : mentions of blood, minor racing accident, soulmate trope, slight angst (maybe). this isn't proofread so i'm sorry if you find some mistakes in my writing.
word count : 1k-1.8k
summary : Everyone is granted the ability to hear the first sentence their soulmate will ever say to them at the age of 10. Some spend years imagining candlelit confessions, grand declarations, or awkward introductions. Andrea Kimi Antonelli spends nine years waiting for four simple words. "You're bleeding."
a/n : please tell me in the comment section if you want a part 2 of this.
Every person is born hearing the first sentence their soulmate will ever say to them.
Some hear romantic things. "Can I buy you a drink?"
Some hear funny things. "Move, you're blocking the elevator."
Some hear confusing things.
And unfortunately for Kimi, he is one of those lucky people who hears the confusing thing that made him treat his soulmate's first words like some kind of puzzle.
It was a sunny day in Italy in 2016. Kimi was practicing at the karting arena like any other day. However, it was particularly hot since it’s in the middle of summer. So Kimi quickly took a break in a much cooler lounge area.
Amidst the hot air, Kimi suddenly felt a harsh ringing in his ear. It didn’t last long enough for him to make it a big deal and start crying like any other 10 year old would when they feel uncomfortable. However, Kimi knew something oddly special about this experience. Kimi knew that this was his time to finally hear her soulmate’s first words to him.
He straightened up his posture, ready to listen. Then finally, he heard it.
“You’re bleeding.”
Kimi’s shoulders immediately slumped because of that. His father had heard something romantic, and so did his mother. But his?
Moreover, this made him agitated. Bleeding? Why was he bleeding? Is he hurt? or was he dying?? Why is he bleeding.
“Kimi!” His dad called him, snapping him from imagining things worse. “Come on, champ! Let’s get back to practice. It’s not as hot as it was.”
Kimi then stood up and went back to karting again. Although in the back of his mind, he repeatedly played the way his soulmate say her first sentence—“You’re bleeding.”
— Barcelona Grand Prix 2026
The race had been slipping away from him long before the impact.
The Mercedes felt unsettled beneath his hands, refusing to rotate the way he wanted through the fast corners. Lap after lap, Kimi wrestled with the steering wheel, searching for grip that simply wasn’t there. Every message from race engineer blended into the background, drowned out by the roar of the engine and the frustration building in his chest.
“Mode push, Kimi. Keep your head down.”
He tried.
God, he tried.
Entering the corner, he carried just a fraction too much speed. The rear stepped out before the front could bite, and in the span of a heartbeat, control slipped through his fingers.
The tires screeched.
The steering went light.
Then—
BANG
The Mercedes slammed into the barrier, carbon fiber exploding into the gravel as shards scattered across the runoff. Dust and debris filled the air, swallowing the car for a brief moment before settling.
Silence.
Only the crackle of the team radio remained.
“You okay, Kimi?”
He squeezed his eyes shut.
“…Yeah.”
A pause.
“I’ve hit the wall.”
The words tasted bitter.
He unfastened his belts with rough, impatient movements before climbing out of the cockpit. The marshals were already making their way toward him, but he barely acknowledged them.
He ripped his helmet off the second both feet touched the gravel.
Without thinking, he hurled it away.
It bounced once.
Twice.
Rolling to a stop several meters away.
“Shit!”
His voice echoed louder than he intended.
Another race thrown away.
Another DNF.
He turned sharply, intending to walk toward the marshals, his vision still clouded by adrenaline and disappointment. His boot caught against a jagged piece of broken carbon fiber lying in the gravel.
The stumble came first.
The pain came after.
He lurched forward, unable to catch himself before the side of his forehead struck the damaged nose of the car with a dull thud. A sharp edge scraped across his skin as he recoiled.
“…Ah—”
He instinctively pressed a hand to his temple.
It didn’t even hurt that much.
Not until he pulled his glove away.
Dark red stained the black fabric.
Kimi stared at it for a second before letting out a dry, humorless laugh.
“Perfect.”
As if today couldn’t get any worse.
The marshals were saying something—asking if he could walk, if he felt dizzy—but he barely heard them. He brushed them off with a nod and started toward the medical personnel waiting nearby.
He was halfway there when someone stepped into his path.
An FIA doctor.
She was younger than he’d expected, dressed in white medical overalls with blue gloves already pulled on. Calm. Focused. Professional.
Without a word, she reached up and gently brushed the damp strands of hair away from his forehead.
Her brows knitted together.
“…You’re bleeding.”
Hearing that made Kimi frown. He reached his finger to feel the red liquid dripping on the said spot before pulling his finger away to look at the red stain on it.
“No shit.” His jaw clenched, still frustrated at the DNF.
“You’re bleeding.”
The sound again.
Then, it clicked.
Kimi turned around frantically. His eyes finally land on the young doctor in front of him—looking at him confused and slightly offended.
“S-sorry… but what did you just say?”
You raised your eyebrows by the sudden question, not expecting to be asked to repeat something as simple as "you're bleeding".
"I-I said you're bleeding."
Kimi's frown immediately turn into a soft grin.
He finally found her.
After all these years.
He found her.
"Sorry for being rude... I guess I am bleeding. Would you mind taking a look at it?"
You nodded slowly, a bit speechless at his sudden change of mood.
"Of course. Please follow me to the medical tent."
You started walking to the safety car and got in with him. Once at the medical tent, you pointed at a stretcher for him to sit on.
You started to clean the blood first and made sure it was just minor cut.
“How did this happen, Kimi?”
You asked as you patched up his wound.
“Eh… got a bit carried away with the anger and fell down. All good now.”
He replied, sounding all shy and quieter all of the sudden.
He looked up into your eyes and shyly asked,
“What’s your name?”
You lifted your gaze to meet his before replying,
"y/l/n, call me y/n."
"y/n..." He repeated, the name sounding beautiful in his lips.
His eyes never left yours, as though they had forgotten how to look elsewhere. Maybe it was the instinct that came with finding his soulmate, something etched into him long before the two of you met. Whatever it was, he knew one thing for certain—he didn't mind being hypnotized by you.
