#sm10

Alex stared back at you, completely and utterly unconvinced. “Sure, and I didn’t cause an 11 car pile up in Monaco,” he nodded. “You clearly have this under control.” 

Irish sarcasm, isn’t it great. You rolled your eyes. “Alex, come on, he’s just-”

“The love of your life,” he finished for you, and you swore you would have rung his neck out. 

“I’m not in love-!”

“Oh! So the sky’s never been blue?! I’m shocked,” he deadpanned. “He’s in love with you-”

“Who’s he?” Sebastian rested an arm around your waist, smiling as he looked between the two of you. “Is it Verstappen wannabe here?” he asked, pointing at Alex, who chuckled mockingly. The nickname had spread like a wildfire throughout the F2 paddock, and it was kind of funny. The 11 car pile up was no joke and it was great that they all walked away with no injuries. 

“At least I’m not being shown up by my teammate,” he bit back as you just watched between the two of them. “Bye Y/n, see you on track Sebastian.”  

“What did he want?” he questioned, turning his attention to you, dropping his hand from your waist. He was all too aware of how strong he came on there, and how silent you got. He hoped he hadn’t ruined anything. He really hoped the ‘he’ Alex was talking about was him, because it meant you were talking about him, which settled a small colony of butterflies in his stomach.

“Just a chat,” you shrugged, turning to him. “How are you?” 

“Better now that you’re back in the paddock,” he smirked. “Where were you?”

“Busy,” you teased, walking on, ahead of him. He raised a curious eyebrow and followed. “Had some family stuff. Hope it wasn’t too terrible without me.” 

“Well I survived, but just barely,” he teased. “Best if you don’t go away again.” 

You just laughed. What the fuck does one say to that? How does one respond to blatant flirting? How does one keep their cool? “I’ll try to stay in the paddock,” you smirked. “No promises.”

He could’ve sworn he’d died and gone to heaven when you looked at him like that. 

Travelling with Sebastian was good in some ways, and shit in others. You got free flights because of his sponsors (or something like that), simple boarding and disembarking experiences, luxury lounges, etc. It was shit, because well… Sebastian was there. That was the shit part, not really. It was this weird tension you two had going on between you. This will-they-won’t-they bullshit, and there seemed to be no end in sight. Yeah, you guys kissed sometimes, and you hooked up. He was sweet. He was nice. You had no idea if he was your boyfriend, or even actually interested in you.

“Is this the girlfriend?” his dad teased as you walked up behind Sebastian, who went bright red. This could not be happening right now. He stared at the two of you with an expecting smile, and your jaw just dropped, unsure of what to say. What does one say to that? Had Sebastian told his dad you were his girlfriend to let you on the flight? Would he be mad to know Sebastian was just letting anyone on? Were you about to have to find another way to Barcelona?

“Dad,” he groaned, covering his face. You continued to stand there, shocked. He nudged his son and laughed. 

“Come on son, it’s a joke! We both know you’re too pretty for him,” he winked at you and smiled, and you pretended that you weren’t actively losing your shit.  You let out a small laugh, trying to regulate your nervous system as the adrenaline in your blood slowly dissipated. “Let’s go, shall we?” 

He set out in front of you as Seb stood back, waiting for you. He nudged into you as you walked from security, an apologetic smile on his face. “I’m so sorry, he makes super ill-timed jokes sometimes,” he admitted, embarrassment clear in his features. “You alright?”

“Yeah, of course,” you nodded, letting out a nervous laugh. “Just… caught me off guard.” 

He stared at you for a second. “Why would that catch you off guard?” 

“Because I'm not your girlfriend?” you chuckled. “Are you sure you weren’t hurt during the race? I know you didn’t crash but-”

“What?!” he squeaked. People stared. He cleared his throat. “But all the…” he trailed off, knowing his dad was within ear shot. “So that didn’t mean anything or…?”

“Oh no!” you took his hand. His face dropped. “I mean yes! Yes, it meant something!” you corrected yourself. “It meant something to me, I just didn’t know if it meant anything to you.”

“Of course it meant something to me,” he said, like it was obvious. “You mean something to me.”

You softened. “You mean something to me too,” you admitted. “So… we’re dating?” 

“I thought we had been this whole time,” he scratched the back of his head. 

So maybe you were in love. And maybe Alex was right.

navigation for my blog :)

so close to what masterlist

. . . The sound of engines echoed through the paddock at the Yas Marina Circuit. It was that time of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The ending act to yet another long and draining year of racing. The air was filled with both excitement and a bittersweet kind of finality as drivers, engineers, and fans prepared to bid farewell to the year.

For you, though, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had always been your favorite weekend. There was something about racing under the floodlights, the tinge of hues of purple and blue in the evening sky, and the way everything felt amplified.

But this year, the atmosphere felt heavier… personal, even.

You were Prema’s star driver, having worked your way up through the ranks with courage and unwavering determination. Your journey hadn’t been easy, but you’d found your home with the team.

A home that supported you, believed in you, and pushed you to your limits. But in the back of your mind, there had been whispers of change.

Today, though, you weren’t letting the rumors distract you. You were more focused on the weekend, pacing around the hospitality area, reviewing your race notes when you felt someone grab your cap right off your head.

"Hey!" you exclaimed, turning to face the offender.

Of course, it was none other than Sebastian, grinning like he’d won a championship.

"That’s mine," you said, raising an eyebrow as you snatched the cap back.

"Yours? Nah, you’re just holding onto it for me," he teased, his dimples on full display as he rocked back on his heels.

Sebastian had been your boyfriend for a while now. You’d met years back during the karting days, and although he’d started out as nothing more than an annoying competitor, it didn’t take long for your relationship to grow into something more.

He was your biggest rival on track when you weren’t sharing quiet moments off it, always keeping you on your senses in the best way.

"Don’t you have somewhere to be?" you asked, giving him a playful shove as he lingered.

"Actually, yes," he said, the grin softening into something unreadable. There was a flicker of nervousness behind his eyes, a rare sight.

You frowned. "What? Did your dad find out you broke his sunglasses again?"

Seb laughed, but it wasn’t as happy as usual. "No, it’s…something else. I need to talk to you. Properly."

"Okay?" You gestured to the empty chairs around the corner. "Sit. Talk."

He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. You could tell whatever this was, it meant a lot to him. Finally, he sat down, gesturing for you to do the same.

The air felt quieter now, despite the distant hum of engines and the chatter of the paddock beyond. You leaned in a little, watching him closely.

"Seb, you’re acting weird. What’s going on?"

He exhaled, staring at the table for a moment before looking back up at you. "I got an offer for next year."

Your eyes widened slightly, but you didn’t say anything, letting him continue.

"I’m moving to Prema."

The words hung in the air for a moment, as though you needed time to process what he’d just said. A moment passed. Then another.

"Wait…what?" you asked, blinking in disbelief.

"I’m joining Prema next year. We’re going to be teammates," he repeated, a small smile tugging at his lips as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself.

Your brain caught up, and suddenly, you were hit with a mixture of emotions all at once. Surprise. Excitement. Shock. And maybe a little bit of something else that you couldn’t put into words yet.

"You’re serious?" you finally asked, your voice softer now.

"Yeah," he said. "They offered me the seat, and I couldn’t say no. I mean, it’s Prema, (Y/n). And…it’s you. You’re there."

Your lips parted slightly as you processed the weight of his words. It was true, Prema was the best of the best. For Sebastian, joining them was huge. It was everything he’d worked for, and he deserved it. He deserved this.

"You’re really joining Prema," you murmured, a small, unbelieving smile pulling at your lips. "And we’re going to be teammates."

"I know it’s a little crazy," he said, his expression turning sheepish. "I mean, we’ll still have to race each other, and I know you’re going to try and beat me every single time-"

"I will beat you every single time." you corrected, the competitive tone in your voice and glint in your eyes making him laugh.

"We’ll see about that," he said, shaking his head. "But seriously, I couldn’t think of a better person to learn from. Or to fight against. You push me to be better every single time, you know that?"

Your heart warmed at his words, the sincerity catching you off guard. You’d always known how much he respected you as a driver, but hearing it like this…it hit differently.

"You’re going to fit right in," you said softly. "Prema’s lucky to have you."

Sebastian’s face lit up, the nervousness finally replaced by excitement. "I’m lucky to have them. And you.'

You rolled your eyes with a small smile, trying not to let him see how much that last part affected you. But before you could say anything else, he stood up and held out his hand.

"Come on," he said. "Let’s go. I want to see you absolutely destroy everyone in quali later. And then me next year."

"You say that now, but when I do, you’re going to sob about it for days," you teased, taking his hand and standing up.

"Never. I’ll just tell everyone you had home field advantage," he shot back, grinning as he started to walk ahead.

You rolled your eyes again but followed, your heart feeling unusually light. The future suddenly didn’t feel so uncertain anymore. Sebastian was going to be your teammate.

Your rival. Your biggest challenge and your greatest ally. And deep down, you knew that 2025 was going to be unforgettable.

As you watched him walk a few steps ahead, his figure illuminated by the fading Abu Dhabi sun, you smiled to yourself.

"Teammates, huh?" you murmured, the words felt foreign on your tongue, yet they also felt strange and wonderful.

Sebastian glanced back at you with a knowing look.

"Yeah," he said, flashing you a grin. "But don’t think for a second I’m going to make it easy for you."

You laughed, shaking your head. "Wouldn’t dream of it, Montoya."

The lights of the paddock glimmered overhead as the weekend rolled on, but for the first time in a while, you weren’t worried about what came next.

2025 couldn’t come soon enough.