#dr03

It started with a slurred number.

"Ninety-nine!" Daniel beamed triumphantly, lips pressed to your cheek as he counted yet another kiss.

You laughed, arms wrapped around him to keep him from toppling over. “That’s enough, baby. You’ve had your ninety-nine.”

He pulled back, blinking at you, betrayal written all over his expressive face. “Nooo. No, no, no. One more. Just one.” He held up a finger, nearly poking you in the eye. “The hundredth one is special. That’s, like, the anniversary of kisses.”

You squinted at him. “That’s not how that works.”

He let out a wounded groan, dramatically collapsing backward onto the couch like a man denied his final wish. “You’re being so mean to me.”

“You’ve had three beers and two glasses of wine. You’re sloshed.”

He sniffled—sniffled—and rolled onto his stomach, hugging a throw pillow like it had betrayed him less than you had. “Just a little kiss. A tiny one. A micro-kiss. I’ll cry. Don’t test me.”

You raised a brow. “You are crying.”

“Fake crying,” he mumbled into the pillow, then peeked one eye up at you. “Unless it works.”

You knelt beside the couch, brushing his curls off his flushed face. “Dan.”

“Yeah?” he sniffed, bottom lip out.

“I love you.”

“That’s not a kiss,” he grumbled, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

You smiled. “You want one more kiss?”

He nodded like an overgrown toddler, still half-pouting.

“How about this—no more kisses for now, but I’ll tell you a hundred things I love about you. You’ll get that hundred, just not in the way you expected.”

Daniel perked up, resting his chin on the pillow. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.”

He squinted. “But you better not cheat and say, like, ‘your elbows’ and ‘your knees.’ That doesn’t count.”

You laughed softly. “No cheating. All real things. Now lie down.”

He snuggled into the couch, arm thrown dramatically over his face like a melodramatic prince. “Fine. Begin.”

You leaned in, kissed his forehead, and began counting.

“One: I love the way you light up when you’re excited about something—like a little kid who’s just discovered racecars for the first time.”

“Mmhmm,” he hummed, eyes fluttering shut.

“Two: I love that you’d rather make people laugh than win an argument.”

A lazy smile tugged at his lips.

“Three: I love how you remember the tiniest things about me. Like how you never forget I hate cold butter on toast.”

“Because that’s a crime,” he mumbled.

“Four: I love the way you take care of everyone around you—even when you’re the one who needs rest.”

You went on. You told him about how his laugh made your day better, how his voice sounded different when he was being genuine, how he danced like no one was watching even when everyone was, how he sang off-key just to make you giggle.

By number thirty-five, he was shifting less.

By fifty-two, his breaths had evened out.

By seventy, you knew he was asleep.

But you kept going—softly, like a lullaby—for your own heart.

And when you reached number one hundred, you leaned in and pressed one final kiss to his temple.

“For your hundredth,” you whispered. “Told you you’d get it.”He didn’t stir—but the smile on his lips told you he heard every word.

Please to not copy or Translate without permission x

"What's up, guys, why are you all silent? Does the conversation just die when I'm not around?"

Daniel chuckles at his joke, and Sebastian playfully rolls his eyes whilst scooting a bit further inside the booth to let his friend sit down comfortably. "Yeah, sure."

The chat between them sparks up again, just as light and fun as it was before – and as it always has been in their group. The perfect way to let go of all the tension of the racing season. They were lucky to have a free Monday evening after another race weekend.

Not many minutes pass though before George quickly glances at Seb with a mischievous glint in his eyes, then turning his attention to the victim he's chosen for his newest prank.

"Actually, D, while you were coming back, that girl at the bar just couldn't keep her eyes off you," he nods with his chin, pointing in the two girls' direction.

"She was full-on checking out your ass, too," Lewis adds, voice slightly shaky from the laughter he truly struggles to hold back now – luckily only Seb knows him and his voice enough to notice it, but he still kicks the Brit gently and noiselessly under the table. If they're really going to do this prank, they can't have Lewis blowing it before anything happens.

Daniel turns his head slowly and as casually as he can manage, to catch a look at the mentioned girl. "Which one?"

"(y/h/c) hair, dark blue top, sitting with her friend."

"You kiddin'."

"Why would I? I'm just informing you, thought you might appreciate it," George shrugs, and Seb has to admit to himself that the kid is a way better actor than he'd expected him to be.

After turning towards the counter as well – as if he'd never seen the girl before and he's just checking who the two Brits were talking about –, the German gently pushes Danny's shoulder with his own. "You should go for it."

"I don't know, man, I'm here to spend time with you, not with some random girl."

"Oh, come on, you'll have dozens of nights like this with us, and this girl, you might never see her again," Seb can feel himself get more and more into this joke as time passes. "Don't tell me you'd actually give up an opportunity like this."

"I agree," Lewis chimes in. "You prefer our boring faces instead of that girl?"

"I know that she's your type, Danny, just man up and go get her," George delivers the final push.

"Fuck it, I'm going."

With that Daniel gets to his feet, wiping his palms swiftly on the jeans hugging his thighs. A look back at his friends – catching the sight of a thumbs up from Seb – and he's off. Calculated, confident steps take him to the counter, where he immediately goes for it, without a second thought, leaning against the wooden furniture right next to the girl.

She momentarily glances at him, a little disturbed by the sudden appearance of someone next to her, so close that she can the body heat radiating off him. There's plenty of room on his other side, he could've easily stopped a bit further away, a bit less in her personal space, she thinks to herself somewhat irritated, but she doesn't want anything to ruin her night, so she leaves it without any comment said to the man.

But then the next second Daniel leans forward, trying to catch her eye. His signature smile – the more flirtatious version – is playing on his lips, with words spilling from them, and it's painfully obvious they're directed at her. "How're you doing?"

With a sigh, (y/n) half turns away from her best friend, casting bored eyes at the man. "Busy," she replies, "and having a great time with my friend."

The unspoken continuation of the sentence hangs in the air, unmistakable even to Daniel. 'And you're ruining it right now.'

Confusion fills his mind, the smile slowly fading from his face as she turns away and he leans back. If she was checking him out, what is going on now? Why does she seem so fed up with him? Did he do something wrong? Insecurity kicks in, and his eyes flicker back towards his friends.

George is doubled over, his whole upper body shaking with laughter, Lewis is shaking his head with a wide grin spreading across his cheeks, and Seb obviously tries to hide himself, sliding down in his seat in the booth until only small parts of him are visible, but it's still clear he's laughing away as well.

'I know she's your type, Danny.'

'You should go for it.'

Their words are on swift repeat inside his mind, and suddenly everything makes sense. It was a stupid prank. Shaking his head in disbelief and biting on the inside of his cheek to stop the surprised chuckle threatening to escape, Daniel wonders which one of the three originally came up with it. He'll have to find a way to get revenge for this.

Oh, the embarrassment he's feeling right now.

His eyes move back to the girl as he slowly pushes himself away from the counter in order to saunter back to their booth. He mentally debates apologising for being so straight-forward. After all, she must think he's some total creep now, being so pushy even though she never expressed even a tiny piece of interest in him.

But then the perfect idea forms in his mind, and another quick look at the three drivers and how they're still enjoying themselves over there confirms to him that it's the best thing he could ever come up with. It's already somewhat a revenge in itself, and there's no way he'd back down from a challenge.

So after that one first step taken away from the two girls, he turns right back around and leans in once more. He can clearly see the frustration in her eyes now, but even that doesn't stop him this time. If she just listens to him this once, she will never see him again, and all her frustration can go away.

"Yes?" (y/n) asks impatiently.

"I'm sorry, we got off to a bad start–"

"You don't say," she mumbles, interrupting him.

"–but if you look to the side you can see three guys in that booth laughing." Daniel waits for her to do as he told, and a long second later she rolls her eyes and with another sigh turns her head. "They are my friends, and they thought it would be funny to make me come here by telling me you were checking me – and my ass if we're tryna be exact – out before. But I mean, who'd check out a race driver's ass?"

"You're a race driver?" (y/n) asks back with the first thing that comes to her head. She's still trying to comprehend the story he's told her.

"I am."

"Nascar?" (y/f/n) chimes in, leaning closer to the two, and Daniel spares a glance at her, only for his mind to conclude that her friend has nothing on her, she really is one of the most gorgeous women he's ever had the pleasure to see.

(y/n)'s lips momentarily pull into a grimace at her friend's intervention, and he catches it just before it disappears. She probably doesn't like Nascar then.

"Nah, Formula One actually," he replies, curiously waiting to see if it triggers the same reaction from her. Nothing happens, to his great relief.

"So that's why he's moving in so fast," her best friend chuckles in the background, eliciting a giggle from her.

"Be careful, (y/f/n), or he'll move so fast by you that you'll get whiplash," she can't help but add jokingly, her eyes swiftly moving along his body. She has to admit, the man actually looks quite attractive.

Daniel shakes his head at their antics, before determinedly going back to his mission.

"Listen, if you could help me out, I'd be forever grateful. I would offer to buy you two a drink, but that might come off as flirting again and I don't want to make you more uncomfortable, so you have to make do with knowing I'm grateful."

"What do you want me to do?" (y/n) squints her eyes, turning more serious as she waits to hear his plan.

"Give me your number."

She raises an eyebrow in surprise. It wasn't what she expected. That she can easily do. "Is a fake number good enough for you?"

"As long as you give me anything I can show them, I'm okay with it," Daniel shrugs.

"Fine," another sigh escapes her lung, holding her hand out towards him in the air, palm facing up, waiting for his phone.

His eyes light up, and he scrambles to pull the device out of his back pocket, unlocking it on the way before placing it in her palm. She deliberately turns her body a bit so that his friends can definitely see her typing away on his phone, before handing it back to him.

"Here you go."

"Thanks, and sorry for bothering," Danny flashes a wide grin towards her, showcasing all his shining, pearly white teeth to her, before wheeling round and making his way back towards the booth.

(y/n) shakes her head, still not being able to fully comprehend the situation. "Why did you let him go like that? He was actually so hot," (y/f/n) scolds her, shoulders bumping into hers as she watches him retreat from the corner of her eyes.

"Who said I did?" (y/n) replies, her voice a bit dreamy and distant.

"What?" her friend lets out a laugh in disbelief. "You gave him your real number, didn't you?"

"I might have," she shrugs, turning back towards the counter.

"And what if he doesn't realise this? I mean, you did in fact tell him it's fake."

"Then it's his problem. It was worth the risk," with a giggle into her glass she takes a sip of her drink. Maybe it was the small amount of alcohol already in her system that made her decide on such a crazy thing. "I didn't want to make it so easy for him."

"I can't decide if you're a genius or an idiot."

They burst out laughing at the same time. Whatever happens, this will be a fun story to tell in the future, she decides. What she doesn't know is that the attractive guy has turned in his seat at that very moment, hearing her laughter even through all the noise of the bar, and is now watching her with happy amusement.

When Daniel arrives back at their booth, the first thing he does is to lean in above the table and smack the back of George's head. "I know it was your idea, Russell George."

"What? Why?" the younger Brit exclaims, rubbing the skin where Danny's hand made a contact. He's still unable to stop chuckling though.

"Lewis is too nice for it, and Seb is not cruel enough."

Sitting down in his seat, shaking his head, Daniel casts a look on all three of his friends that's meant to be reprimanding but only comes off as funny, especially when it comes to the two older drivers. All four of them are simply grinning wide in the end.

And in the middle of the just setting, temporary silence, the Aussie places his unlocked phone on the middle of the table. "But your plan didn't work out quite how you thought, did it?"

He leans back and watches joyously as the three move closer, feeling oh so satisfied to see the shock settling on their faces.

"That's her number, idiots."

"What?" Daniel can hear George's mumbled disbelieving, probably rhetorical question, which only fuels his satisfaction.

"That's how you do it. Next time, watch and learn instead of laughing your asses off."

A couple hours later Danny arrives back to his hotel room, and flopping down on his bed pulls out his phone to scroll on social media for a while, not in the mood to go to sleep just yet. It was such a nice night, he wants to enjoy the content feeling buzzing in his body a little more.

As his phone unlocks, his eyes fall on the saved newest contact. He's totally forgotten about her – how could he? He forgot how he locked his phone right away after showing her number to the other three drivers, and didn't use the device again until now.

But now her number and name are right there, in front of his eyes, and he can't help but think back to those breathtaking (y/e/c) eyes. He wishes he could see them again.

His finger hovers above the call button before his mind can catch up to his actions, but freezes just in that very moment. She gave you a fake number, his mind tells him.

Yeah, but what if she didn't? What's the worst that can happen? He wakes some old grandpa up in the middle of nowhere. And so what?

So in the next moment, when his finger moves again, Daniel doesn't stop himself, and lets the skin on the pad of his finger press onto the screen. It rings six times, and he's close to giving up and just ending the call when someone finally answers.

With bated breath he waits, his nerves tickling, muscles tense as he's laying on the soft mattress.

"Hello?"

He immediately recognises the voice. It's her.

"So it wasn't a fake after all," he can't help but smirk to himself.

"No, it wasn't," she replies, and Danny can basically hear how she rolls her eyes playfully at him.

"Why'd you say it was fake then?"

"Wanted you to figure it out yourself."

"You give me way too much credit if you think I'm that clever," he chuckles.

(y/n) giggles, her heart fluttering in her chest. She'd been waiting for him to call, but slowly started giving up hope he actually would. And now she's actually talking with him.

"I thought you'd like a challenge, Mr Race Driver."

"Oh, I did."

A second or two passes in silence, both just contently breathing, happy that they didn't lose this opportunity, to speak to the other again.

"I'm Daniel, by the way," he speaks up again, just wanting to hear her voice again, more than anything else.

"I know. I looked you up in Google," she admits.

"Did you?" Daniel bursts out laughing. (y/n) joins him a moment later, and he swears there are butterflies in his stomach and chest by the sound.

When they calm back down, it's her turn to break the sudden quiet. "I'm (y/n)."

"Nice to meet you, (y/n)," he speaks her name slowly, carefully, rolling it around his tongue, trying to get a taste of how it feels to say it. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

"You too, Daniel." Her voice is soft, so soft he could fall asleep just listening to her – especially if she says his name. It's like being in heaven.

"Are you free tomorrow?"

"Wow, you really don't wait around a lot," and just like that, he earned another chuckle from her.

"I'm leaving town two days from now, that's the reason." He shrugs, even though he knows she can't see him.

"Oh." A long pause, one that scares Daniel for a moment that his previous announcement scared the girl. "I'm free in the afternoon actually," she adds then, and he's back to grinning with that signature, teeth-flashing smile.

"Good."

What has she gotten herself into?, she can't help but think as her heart beats rapidly in her chest and in her throat.

She doesn't know the answer, not just yet, but she can feel that it's going to be one hell of a wonderful adventure.

.::the end::.

my masterlist | my f1 masterlist

    “everything’s good back there? you ready to meet daddy’s friends?” daniel watched as his daughter -- who is also yours -- stared at the many cameras that have started to surround the car at a distance. today is indeed her first time coming to public. her reaction was understable. daniel laughed.

    “she’s having this careful look as she look at the cameras,” daniel talked to you as he gathered his belongings around his seat compartment. “must be wondering who are these people. corvid babies.” daniel snorted and shook his head.

    you turned around to take a look at your baby and laughed when you realised that daniel was right. “funny how she didn’t whine about it like she always does at family gatherings. she really knows her crowd.”

    agreeing with you, daniel puffed a light chuckle. considering that both of her parents are famous people, maybe it’s already in her genes to be okay when she gets that much of attention from the medias. “you okay, baby? ready to hop out?”

    you smiled at your husband. “yeap. let’s go.”

    after putting on his cap, daniel quickly exited the car -- the five-seated, four-doored and a hunchback car -- to pick up his little girl at the back. his daddy mode was on as he unstrapped your daughter’s seatbelt and, after making sure that she’s nicely presented, he picked her up and out of the car. meanwhile, you grabbed your daughter’s bag and waved at the cameras as you waited daniel to re-join with you.

    “extra cameras today,” you commented as you walked hand-in-hand with daniel.

    “guess everyone’s excited for little missy’s first public appearance,” he answered you before talking to your daughter that sounded something like, “ain’t that right, missy? it’s your first pubolic appearance today. and, wow, you’re doing good!”

    you laughed at yourself hearing your husband’s voice as he talks to your daughter, finding him cute acting like a child around her sometimes. and you almost laughed at your daughter as well because she looks completely overwhelmed by the attention she’s getting from the medias. but good thing, no sign of tantrum.

    “you want to wave at them?” daniel let you your hand free to help your daughter wave her small free hand at people. “c’mon. wave at them. say hi. you can say hi.”

    when your daughter waves at the cameras by herself, the cameras went crazy. they’re snapping 10-20 frames per second, excited and taking advantage of the short moment to capture the mclaren’s driver’s young daughter. but, as much of attention your daughter gets, you know the medias will never forget you.

    “y/n stark, over here!”

    “miss stark, how’s your father?”

    “miss stark! miss stark!”

    ah, no wonder the cameras love you so much. you’re a stark. the one and only daughter of tony stark. the tony stark. the legend himself. ever since you were born, you were also already famous. people anticipated your arrival to the world. there were a lot of names predicted by your father’s fans before he announced to the media that they chose y/n as his daughter’s name. they also predicted your future with the name your father given to you and when things fall apart in your life, they started to blame your father for naming you y/n because it’s bad luck, they said.

    but, what do you care now, huh? you have billions of money in your bank account. you run tons of businesses and have your own clothing lines. you’re married to one of the most wonderful human being, given a pretty and smart child with him, surrounded by great people. it’s like you cannot ask for anything better accept a good environment your child to grow up in.