#thing268

Finn has always been the baby of the family, and none of his family saw him as anything but the young boy he was many years ago. That’s why when they saw Finn in the late afternoon with a little boy, who couldn’t be older than five, they just about had heart attacks. 

There’s no way their baby brother Finn had a kid. He was still a damn kid himself! 

Thankfully, it was John who spotted Finn first and took it upon himself to spy on his little brother. Over the course of a couple of days, John saw Finn with this little boy at the bakery, at the park, and at school. It was at that point that John decided the rest of the family deserved to know.

“Did you see Finn’s kid?” John said after a few too many drinks, after a late night at the Garrison. Arthur, Polly, and Tommy were there, and Finn himself was notably absent once again after saying he had a long day for the fifth time that month; the month was only half over. 

“His fuckin what?” Arthur screamed, slamming his glass back onto the table.

“He’s just a child, John!” Polly interrupted, “Of course, he doesn’t have a kid.”

“I saw him with me own eyes,” John said a little lower, leaning forward with his forearms on the table. “Kid can’t be older than five, but I saw Finn and the kid going round this place. I even saw Finn at the school! I didn’t even think Finn knew where it was!”

“I don’t believe that,” Tommy chuckled lightly for once. 

“Then ask him during the family meeting tomorrow,” John offered.

The next day, everyone was on the lookout for Finn before the meeting. Usually on these days, he would be in the shop. Where was he? With you and Denny.

“Can you please pass the green crayon, Finn?” Denny asked, looking up towards you and Finn from his spot on the floor. He was laying on his stomach, colouring a couple of papers for a class project. Draw something that makes you happy. 

“Sure thing, buddy,” Finn said, leaning away from you to toss the green crayon over to the boy. “Do we get to see it yet?”

“No!” Denny replied loudly as he threw his arms over the paper to keep you and Finn from seeing it. “I’m not done yet!”

“But we don’t even get a peek?” Finn teased, jokingly leaning around to try and see a bit of the paper.

“It’s not ready yet!” Denny argued back as he threw his entire body over the paper. “You can’t look at it yet!”

“Finn, leave him be,” You chuckled, grabbing his shoulder to pull him up to lean back on the couch with you. “He’ll show us when he’s ready.”

‘But I wanna see it now,” Finn dragged out with a smile, showing that he was joking as he leaned his head on your shoulder. “I have to leave soon, and I don’t wanna miss seeing it.”

“Why can you stay every night?” Denny asked innocently, moving his big brown eyes up to Finn.

“I have to work like your mummy,” Finn answered after a second of hesitation. “I have my own place that I have to stay at, too. My bed misses me if I’m gone too long.”

“We should have a sleepover at your house, Finn!” Denny proposed jumping up and throwing himself across your and Finn’s laps. “We could play games. We could go swimming.”

“You don’t know how to swim-” You tried to add, but Denny just kept listing things off over you.

“We could drink hot chocolate. We could have a dance party. We could stay up all night, and we could have so much fun, Finn!” Denny cheered, barely able to contain his excitement as he bounced in your laps. “Can we please, Finn? It would be so fun!”

“I’ll have to see,” Finn responded, not exactly turning it down. “Now, I would love to stay, but I have to go work. I’ll call after and see what you two are up to.”

Denny threw a bit of a fit after Finn left, but you knew it was family business. Denny was too young to understand, but you did this to protect him. His father wasn’t the best (actually he was a real piece of shit by anyways), and Finn treated you and Denny like you were the centres of his universe. You couldn’t take that away from him. You made Denny one of his favorite snacks to cheer him up and tide him over until dinner.

Finn barely made it on time. Maybe he was a couple of minutes late, but they obviously hadn’t started when he walked in. Actually, when he walked in, everyone went silent. Finn didn’t think twice before moving in, going to his normal spot in the room, and leaning against the wall.

“Business first,” Tommy started before turning his full attention to Finn, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You. You need to man up.”

“What did I do?” Finn blurted out, pushing himself away from the wall to approach Tommy. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“If you’re ever going to be useful in this business, the least you can do is man up and admit that you got a girl pregnant,” Arthur added, coming over to clap Finn on the back.

“I did not,” Finn immediately denied as he looked confused between his brothers. They all continued to stare at him, unmoved. “Okay, if I did, I don’t know about it!”

“Like hell you do!” John erupted, slamming his hand on the table. “I fuckin’ saw it!”

“You saw what?” Finn screamed, silencing everyone in the room.

“You and the kid,” John responded. “I saw you and the kid. Don’t play stupid, alright, cause I saw you. Just be honest.”

“Me and the…” Finn trailed off before realizing who they were talking about. It hit him like a ton of bricks. “Wait…do you mean the boy that’s,” Finn paused before gesturing with his hand a height that was right around his knees, “yey tall?”

“Yeah, looks just like you from what I’ve heard,” Tommy answered after watching John nod immediately.

“He’s not my blood, but he’s mine,” Finn smiled more to himself than anything. “That’s Denny. He’s my girlfriend’s kid. The dad was a real dickhead, knocked her up and left before she knew. Been with her since we were 18, and I’ve been helping raise him.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Polly asked, her motherly instincts kicking in.

“I didn’t even know he had a girl,” Arthur chuckled under his breath.

“It’s our work,” Finn defended, “It’s not safe, and the last thing I need is either of them in danger.”

“That’ll do, Finn,” Tommy spoke with authority as he walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re serious?”

“Deadly.”

“Alright then,” Tommy said, commanding the room’s attention. “We expect to meet them soon.”

About a week later, you walked towards the Garrison with Denny’s hand tightly grasped in yours. Denny just got out of school, and Finn had been talking about you meeting his family a lot more recently. You didn’t even opt to stop at your apartment first as you held Denny’s satchel.

“Mummy, are we going to see Finn?” Denny asked, tugging lightly on your arm. “I want to show him my drawing.”

“Of course, we are,” You replied with enthusiasm. Denny got his drawing back, and Denny didn’t want you to see it without Finn, so you were excited to see it too. You rounded another corner as the Garrison came into view, and Finn was already standing outside for you two. “And look who it is.”

“Finn!” Denny shouted, dropping your hand and running into Finn’s open arms.

“Hey, buddy!” Finn cheered as he lifted Denny in the air, while you walked a little slower to them. Finn rested Denny against his hip like a natural and looked at you just as you approached them. “Hey, sweetheart. How was work?”

“As it always is,” You sighed, grabbing Finn’s other arm and leaning into his side. “Are you ready for this?”

“Wait! I want to show you my picture!” Denny shouted, wiggling in Finn’s arms to be put down. He obliged, and you handed Denny his satchel. He dug through it for a second, and while he was doing that, a couple of family members - all of them - walked out of the Garrison after seeing a new girl and little boy standing with Finn. Seeing the little moment in progress, they opted to stay closer to the door and just peek around it.

Denny finally got it out and held it in front of himself proudly as you and Finn took it all in. Your eyes darted to Finn to see him holding back tears. Sure, it was no Mona Lisa (what else would you expect from a five-year-old?), but it was a little stick figure family. A girl with your eyes and hair colour on one side labeled “Mummy”, a little boy who looked just like Denny labeled “Me”, and a boy in a suit and peaky cap labeled “Daddy”. 

“I love it, buddy,” Finn whispered, reaching to pull Denny into a hug.

“I didn’t know how to ask,” Denny whispered back, still slightly afraid as he glanced over at you, “Is it okay if I call him daddy?”

“Of course, you can, baby,” You comforted, leaning in to place a kiss on the top of his head. “As long as Finn-”

“Of course, buddy!” Finn cut you off with a teasing smile as he held Denny closer to him at stood up, shielding your own child from you. “Don’t get jealous now, cause I think I just became the favorite parent.”

“Oh great, my boyfriend and my son against me,” You rolled your eyes at the two, but you held a wide smile on your face as Finn spun Denny around a few more times. Then, he stopped when someone cleared their throat from the doorway.

“Looks like you manned up,” The center one said before turning his attention to you. “Nice to meet you. I’m Thomas.”

~~~~~

Michael Gray

Anything for You –W.C.1441

Home –W.C. 485

Finn Shelby

We’ve Got Work to Do –W.C.1341

Pt 2 –W.C. 1533

Betrothed –W.C. 466

Walking Furnace –W.C. 1143

Man Up – 1712

Thomas Shelby

Hide – W.C. 229

As always, my requests are OPEN

You walked into the paddock with your head held down and your hands tightly wrapped around the camera in your hands. Your job was simple: come in, take a few pictures, then hide out in the media center until it was acceptable to leave. That was your routine, and you stuck to it.

You don’t even remember how you got the job. You just applied, had one brief interview, and suddenly you were at a track with the VCarb Formula 1 team. You simply blended into the sea of white and blue shirts, and no one looked at you twice. It was always like this. 

For as long as you could remember, no one listened to you. You’d since stopped talking to anyone unless spoken to, and to be honest, you couldn’t remember the last time you had a full conversation with someone. The last time someone said anything to you was telling you a direction to go take pictures. That’s it. You just accepted it at this point.

You came in to work, did your job, and that’s it. No one has complained about your work yet.

Kimi noticed you, though. Kimi saw how you would sit by yourself under a tree, generally, eating your lunch. Kimi saw how the other members of your team never engaged in conversation with you unless it was to tell you what to do. Kimi saw how separated you were from the team, and he wanted to know why.

“Can you tell me anything about them?” Kimi asked Isack while discreetly pointing at you when the two of them walked passed the VCarb hospitality, and you were, once again, sitting under a tree and looking over the raw pictures you took thus far in the day. “They are always there.”

“I don’t even know who that is,” Isack admitted, shrugging. “Probably someone who has tickets and they like to take pictures, but I don’t think they’re actually part of my team.”

It was a lie, and Kimi knew it. He had seen you around for multiple races. After you brushed passed him after a Q2 exit for the Mercedes driver, he noticed you everywhere. Between sessions, at the team’s hotels, just around the track, Kimi always seemed to find you, and to hear your own team not think you exist was crazy to him. 

That’s when Kimi decided he would try to include you whenever he saw you, and it started with learning your name.

It started small with Kimi just observing where you hung out, just a little closer than he normally did. Without a doubt, you always found a shaded area away from the main hospitality, sat on the ground, and carefully put your camera away. Then, you would pull out some headphones, play a song or video, and grab a sandwich and a water bottle from your backpack before starting to eat.

It was clockwork, Kimi learned. No matter where you were, you always had the same routine. The only thing he couldn’t figure out was when you got there or when you left. You were always under the radar, but Kimi was determined to figure you out.

The day finally came when Kimi decided enough was enough.

He watched from afar as you walked around between the sessions. It was nearing midday, and Kimi knew you would be looking for your spot. He watched as you walked in between the buildings, and he peeked around the side of the wall. You got about halfway between the buildings before you stopped and plopped down on the ground. 

Kimi slowly walked down towards you as you started putting your camera away, like you always did. Kimi approached you, but you paid him no mind, simply putting your headphones on and playing your music until you noticed him nearly beside you. You scooted back a bit to give yourself some distance before you continued grabbing your sandwich and opting to ignore him.

“Hey,” Kimi said suddenly. You side-eyed him as you took a bite from your sandwich. You nodded toward him, but didn’t say anything. “I’m Kimi, I drive for Mercedes, obviously,” Kimi explained before realizing he was wearing a Mercedes shirt. You just looked at him skeptically, but still didn’t say anything. Kimi took a deep breath. “What’s your name?”

You simply pointed at your VCarb garage pass, which had your name adorned on the back as you took another bite.

“Wow, I like your name,” Kimi replied awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Eh…What kind of sandwich is that? It looks pretty good.”

You just pulled the sandwich apart to show him what was on it. Not much, just the basics to make it considered a sandwich. 

“What are you listening to?” Kimi asked after a couple of seconds of silence. You looked at him wearily again before turning your phone to show him the song currently playing. “Oh, that’s cool. I like them too.” He had never heard of it, but he needed something to make you feel connected. You gave him a tight-lipped smile and a curt nod, going back to focusing on your sandwich.

“Can you say something? Like anything?” Kimi pressed after a few seconds of silence. You glanced over at him with wide eyes as you gestured around randomly. That’s when something else clicked for Kimi, and he started spiraling, “Unless you can’t talk! Then, I look like an asshole. I’m sorry! I didn’t even think of that.”

“Why would I?” You muttered so quietly, Kimi almost missed it. Kimi completely froze, turning his body to show he was giving you his full attention. “It’s not like you’d listen. No one does.”

“I want to,” Kimi whispered back, leaning a little closer to you to show his sincerity. “I’m going to sound pretty bad for a second, but I noticed you. I noticed how no one came up to you, and I don’t know. I just wanted to get to know you. I’m sorry if that’s weird. I can leave if you’d rather be alone.”

“No one has listened to me in…” You paused, really thinking about it before concluding you didn’t know the last time you felt like your voice mattered, “I don’t know how long.”

“Well, I’d like to listen to you,” Kimi said, moving to sit beside you with his back against the wall and bumping his shoulder against yours. “Say anything, and I promise I’ll listen.”

“Anything?” You asked skeptically, leaning into him slightly as you looked at him with a newfound curiosity. 

“Here, I’ll start,” Kimi offered, “I don’t think George is really 185 cm.”

“I hate the smell of Isack’s cologne,” You admitted sheepishly. Kimi looked at you with wide eyes and a small smile at you opening up. “It makes me sneeze.”

“I thought I was the only one!” He laughed as you joined him. It was a small step, but Kimi was determined to make you feel heard.

~~~~~

You wished you had thought of this exact scenario when you decided to give your family a key to your new townhouse. You had recently moved into your own apartment in Italy as it was closer to your university, and honestly, you just wanted to move out. You were almost 20, and you wanted a little bit of freedom.

The fact that you had also just hit two years with your boyfriend may have also played a role in your sudden need for independence. You and Ollie had met randomly on a bike ride and hit it off. You didn’t initially know that he was a racing driver or that he knew your brothers until maybe your tenth or eleventh date. By that point, you were already together for a couple of months.

At first, you thought that would have scared him away, but he was in too deep.

Over time, your relationship progressed naturally, and when he made it to Formula 1, you decided to get a shared apartment. Then, when you found this townhouse, you two couldn’t pass it up. There was space for you both to have separate offices for work and simulator set-ups. It was almost the halfway point between an airport and your university. It was close to town without being too close to town. It was everything you could have wanted! You couldn’t turn it down.

You moved in and got settled in with no problems.

Truth be told, you should have expected something like this to happen because you had three very overprotective brothers who had no concept of privacy. You should have known that they would barge in unannounced under the rationale of “checking in on you” and “making sure you weren’t lonely” at the worst possible time. They had done it a few times, so you knew this was a possibility. You just didn’t want to believe it.

The first time they showed up unannounced, you were putting away the new glassware you just bought. Ollie had to head to Maranello for his seat fitting with Haas, and he, quite literally, just left less than five minutes before your brothers came barging in. Charles and Arthur just waltzed through the door, saw you putting dishes away, and decided to stay and help. 

While they were there, you decided to have them build some furniture while you did some more cosmetic changes to the house. Together, they built your bed frame, dresser, bedside tables, and bookshelf while you painted a wall in the common room and hung up some pictures. 

Ollie was shocked at how productive your day was until you explained that Charles and Arthur had turned up. That made more sense.

The next time they showed up, you had a couple of friends over as you worked on a course project, and Ollie was out with his friends. Doing what, you had no clue, and you didn’t care. Still, Enzo, Charles, Arthur, and your mum showed up with dinner because they weren’t sure you could “cook for yourself.” 

Needless to say, you were quite embarrassed as they said this in front of your course friends. You made sure to tell them not to stop by randomly again after that. They would need to call or something beforehand or else you would take the key away.

The third time was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

There was a gap in races, and you told your family that you were going on a trip with your friends. It lined up with your class break, and you just wanted one week of peace! 

You were lucky enough to not be disturbed when Ollie was home because if they knew, it would be chaos. You just hoped they would actually listen to you because you and Ollie were going to be home all week doing whatever the hell you pleased in your own home. 

You had gone for late-night bike rides, farmer’s market trips, movie nights, sleeping in, the whole nine yards. You convinced him to do a wine and paint night with you, do face masks, and cook! You convinced Kimi to teach you how to make authentic pasta and forced Ollie to join you. 

You and Ollie stood frozen in the kitchen covered in flour, after you heard what sounded like a car coming up your driveway. Neither of you moved or breathed for a second waiting for something to happen. Ollie had you caged between his body and the corner of the counter with his arms blocking you on both sides. You still had a handful of flour, ready to throw it at his head, but you both froze in fear.

“I think it was nothing,” Ollie whispered before turning his attention back to you. You were leaning against the counter as Ollie blocked you when you blew some flour at him. You took a break from making pasta when a whole battle broke out between the two of you, and the brief interruption was the only thing that got you to stop.  “Where were we?”

“I was about to throw this flour at your head, but I’ve decided against it,” You chuckled as you dropped your fist to the counter, dusting the flour off your hand. “I’m not in the mood for throwing flour anymore.”

“Well, what are you in the mood for then?” Ollie jokingly teased as he leaned his forehead against yours.

“I could use a kiss and a shower, to be honest,” You replied with a smirk, leaning closer to him.

“Who am I to say no?” He chuckled as he met you in the middle and joined you in a kiss. Soon, the brief kiss turned into two, and then it turned into a full down makeout session. Your hands were on his shoulder and in his hair. His hands were wound tightly around your waist until he dropped them to your thighs and lifted you to sit on the counter.

“Mon Dieu,” You heard Arthur’s voice and immediately pushed Ollie away from you.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” You snapped, jumping down from the counter to walk over to your older brothers.

“What’s he doing here?” Charles shouted, pointing at Ollie, who was just standing back and leaning against the kitchen counters.

“What am I doing?” Ollie gasped as he walked over to back you up. “I live here! What are you doing here?”

“You’re supposed to be on vacation!” Arthur turned his attention back to you,

“That’s not answering the question!” You chastised, waving a finger at Arthur and Charles.

“We just thought we could stop by and grab something-”

“What was the purpose of my key, Charles?” You asked rhetorically, crossing your arms over your chest. 

“Emergencies only,” He muttered and looked down like a child being scolded by their parent. “I didn’t mean it like-”

“No, that doesn’t sound like an emergency to me,” You lectured. “I told you after last time that I would take my key away if you abused it.”

“I think we’re missing the point here!” Arthur objected, pointing at Ollie again.

“Yeah, Ollie’s here! And he was kissing you! What was that about?” Charles said, feeding off of Arthur’s energy.

“Charles, gimme my key, now,” You replied simply, holding out your hand for the key. “I told you guys this would happen if you came unannounced again. You’ve lost a privilege.”

“Fine, but we need to talk about this,” Charles sighed, reaching into his pocket to and over your extra key.

“We can talk about it at the next race,” You replied with a tight smile, closing your hand tightly around the key. “We’re not talking about this until then. Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but get out of my house.”

“There’s the door!”

“Ollie, don’t push it.”

~~~~~

“Come with me to get my nails done?”

It wasn’t all the time you asked this. Only every once in a while, when you really wanted to be near Kimi. You already had so little time to be around him in between races, but you also really loved your nail car. It was your version of self-care. You just wanted to share it with him.

“I’m good this time, but take my card.” Every. Single. Time. 

You wondered if Kimi ever noticed how disappointed you looked after he said no. You loved him and wanted to spend time with him. Why couldn’t he understand that?

It took a few months, but alas, you saw your golden opportunity. Could it be because you caught him after a long weekend? Probably. Were you going to still make him go? Yes. 

“Kimi, can you come with me to get my nails done, please?” You said, plopping down beside him, resting your head on his shoulder and looking at him with big eyes and a pouted lip. “Please? Just this once?”

He looked at you, like he was about to say no, but he could not say no to those eyes. 

“Fine, just this once. Let me get my keys,” He sighed, pushing to stand up. It took you a couple of seconds to realise he finally said yes. It wasn’t until he was standing in front of you again, keys in one hand and the other outstretched to you, that you realised he had agreed.

He drove you to your normal salon with a hand on your thigh and occasionally asking for directions. It was a little place your friend owned and ran, and you had been going to them for as long as you could remember. You realised that this was the first time Kimi was going with you.

You walked through the doors hand-in-hand, and it was pretty empty. Your friend immediately greeted you and escorted you over to the chairs, Kimi taking the one beside you, and you and your friend started chatting, catching up, talking about the design and just anything while they set up their station.. They went over to grab a couple of things, so you turned to Kimi, who was leaning his head on his hand on the arm of the chair, lazily gazing at you.

“You know, they have the nice chairs here,” You chuckled as you turned to him. It wasn’t one of those obnoxious massaging chairs. It was a simple one that just changed temperature and gently massaged your back. Personally, you loved it, and you hoped Kimi would too. You pointed at the button on the inside of the chair, “Press this.”

“I spent a lot on the good chairs, Kimi,” Your friend chuckled, coming back over with the materials needed and a couple of water bottles. “This will take a while, so get comfortable. If you want, I can put on an old race if that’ll make you happy.”

“It’s fine, I’m good here,” He smiled politely as he pulled out his phone and started to scroll as he put his hand back on your thigh. You rolled your eyes but settled into your seat anyway. 

Your friend got started with your nails, and every once in a while, you would catch Kimi chuckling at something on his phone. If he looked up and met your eye, he would show you, and it was usually some random video about dogs or cars. He would also specifically show you edits of him and Ollie during their Prema days; he knew you loved those specifically and would never pass up an opportunity to make you smile, even if it was the same video of him and Ollie dancing in the dark to the nth different song.

After a while, you think his phone died, but you were so engrossed in your conversation with your friend, you didn’t actually know if that was the reason or not. All you remember hearing was the message chair start up next to you, so you assumed his phone died or he got bored doom scrolling. 

Your friend finished up your nails and allowed you to get a closer look while they cleaned off the area. You immediately pulled your hands closer to your face to look at the design, and they were exactly how you wanted them. You leaned over to show Kimi, and that’s when you noticed his eyes were closed, his head was propped on the side of the chair, and faint snores escaped his lips. 

“He’s been out for a while,” Your friend chuckled, “Surprised you didn’t notice earlier.”

“I was busy talking to you. What can I say?” You defined with a smile. “How would I have known?”

“Don’t you have like partner-telepathy?”

“No,” you scoffed, lowering your eyes at them. “I just know he’s had a love season, and the last few weeks have been nonstop. Honestly, not surprised he passed out.”

“Should you wake him up?”

“I don't want to,” you chuckled lightly as your friend took a picture of your nails to post on their page. They went back to putting everything back in their correct places, as you just watched Kimi for a couple of seconds.

He looked so peaceful now that the season was over, and maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was asleep. You didn't want to disturb him, but you knew that you had dinner plans with Ollie and his girlfriend. If you didn't wake him up now, he would be grumpy for the rest of the night or try to find a way not to go.

You gently moved a hand up to rake through his curls slowly. As you expected, you shifted a little closer to you at first, so you moved your other hand up to his shoulder as you gently shook him away.

“Kimi, it’s time to go,” You whispered as he moved his head to lie on your shoulder. “Kimi, we gotta go. Remember, we have dinner with Ollie in a couple of hours.”

“That was the best sleep I’ve gotten in a while,” he yawned, stretching his arms above his head and rubbing at his eyes. “If you ever want me to come with you, I am never passing this up again.”

“What happened to just this once?” You teased as you stood up and pulled him along with you out to the car.

“I will actually be upset if I never get to sit in those chairs again,” he replied, deadly serious, looking over at you as he climbed into the driver's seat. “Actually, ask your friend where they got them. I want one at the house.”

“Kimi, that’s an unnecessary purchase.”

“I don’t care. I need it.”

~~~~~

“If you weren’t so cute, you’d be annoying,” You blurted out, and everyone went silent. Sometimes you hated how, when drunk, you have literally no filter, especially when it was around your best friend-turned crush. 

You could barely remember how you got in this situation.

~~

It started with a text from Chip. Harry had backed out of a pub golf video at the last second, and you were his last resort. Unfortunate that you were the last resort, but you wouldn’t let that hit your ego. It was your day off and you had been casually drinking before then. You didn’t think it could be that bad.

It was that bad.

By hole 2, you were definitely swaying. Chris had taken to wrapping an arm around your waist and making sure you didn’t fall. 

On the way to the third pub, Freezy asked one of the camera guys to follow you two specifically, and they caught one of the conversations between you.

“You’re like…really hot,” Chris said, leaning his head against your shoulder. “You’re like unfairly hot.”

“Thank you, Chris.” You blushed and gently pushed against him, but not hard enough to make him move.

“I’m not even that drunk right now,” he defended, pulling back to look at you. “I just think you’re perfect.”

“Chris, I think you’re a little drunk right now.” You chuckled as you all made it to the next pub, so the camera guy had to go film the whole group.

Someone handed Arthur a 360 camera, and all he did with it was set it in front of you two to catch the next drunken conversation.

“You know, if you were a drink,” Chris started as he leaned closer to you, your thighs and sides touching, “you would be fine wine, and I just wanna sip you slowly-wait. Pause. That came out wrong.”

“I think you made your point clear,” You rolled your eyes.

“Let me try again,” Chris said before clearing his throat as the next shots were brought out and set in front of you all. He looked straight at the small glass, smelled it, and set it down before hitting his hand against the table, gaining the attention of everyone at the table. “Are you made of tequila? Because you’re making me all dizzy.”

“I’d argue that was worse than the fine wine one,” You chuckled as your heart beat just a little faster. He is drunk, you reminded yourself over and over again, he doesn’t mean it. But maybe he did?

Between holes 3 and 4, Chris offered to carry you. Not because you were struggling to walk, no.

“You could walk,” He trailed off, “Or I could sweep you off your feet. Literally.” He didn’t give you much time to answer before he bent down and basically picked you up on his back. “I’d carry you off into the sunset if we didn’t have a pub golf video to film.”

He promptly fell about six feet later.

“So,” He dragged out for a second as he looked back at you from over his shoulder. “You trying to get us horizontal or what?” “You carried me like a prince,” You started as you stood up and dusted your knees off. Then you grabbed his hand to help him up. “You also dropped me like my ex, so you’ve got range.”

“Ouch, right in my heart,” Chris cried dramatically as he clutched his heart and leaned away from you, almost falling back onto the ground. And he would have! Had you not reached out to grab him, wrapping an arm around his waist a second too late, and falling once again but on top of him this time. “Wow, looks like you fell for me this time.”

“Oh my god, are you okay?” You gasped, pushing yourself up a little.

“My pride is bruised,” Chris winked at you, “My ass? Not sure yet. You wanna check it out for me?”

You sent him a half-laugh, half-groan. “Only if you return the favor. I think I landed on my dignity…and my elbow.”

“Oh shit,” he shot up, bonking his head against yours in his race to check out your arm. “Double shit.”

“You are such a dumbass,” You said in disbelief as a couple of breathy laughs escaped your lips.

“But I’m your dumbass, right?” He questioned, sending big eyes and a pout your way. “You can’t say no to this face.”

“You literally fell twice in 30 seconds, hurt my arm and gave me a concussion,” You deadpanned, “I’m not claiming you.”

“Yet,” Chris added with a smile and finger guns. You just rolled your eyes before standing up, and inspecting your roadburn covered arm. “Damn, that looks bad. Want me to kiss it to make it better?”

You took a deep breath before muttering with a laugh, “If you weren’t so cute, you’d be annoying.” Time stopped. Everyone stopped. It felt like all of your friends completely stopped talking and they were all looking at you.

Chris looked at you with wide eyes and his jaw was practically on the floor. You couldn’t meet his eyes. No way. How could you face him after saying that?

You could hear your heartbeat in your head, mocking you. Why would you say anything? You were completely fine with being friends, so why did you decide now was the time to lay it all out? 

“Are you serious?” Chris finally said after what felt like forever, causing you to snap over to him. Now, you could either lie and save whatever is left of your dignity or confess and either ruin a friendship or start a relationship. Honestly, you weren't sure you were ready to take that risk.

“About you being annoying? Yes, 100 percent,” You decided to say, but Chris just shook his head as he took a step closer to you.

By now, you were chest to chest. You could feel his breath fanning against your face every couple of seconds, and it made you nervous. Your eyes darted around to your friends, who were all trying their best not to look at you and failing miserably, but conveniently, every single camera was pointed at you two. 

Chris grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him. You tried to look anywhere else, but one look in his eyes, and you were done. You licked your lips nervously before deciding to go all the way.

Except, you couldn’t.

Everyone’s eyes were on you, and when you opened your mouth, nothing came out. Your eyes teared up as your heart raced and your breathing sped up, not because of Chris. Just the number of people watching you. Your eyes darted around, suddenly feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes on you. 

“I-I can’t,” You stammered, pulling back and trying to cover your face from the eyes, the cameras, from Chris. He quickly wrapped an arm around your waist, so you couldn’t get too far from him. But he still made sure there was space between you. Your head snapped around, and this time, Chris noticed.

“Ignore them,” Chris whispered, moving to place himself between you and all of your friends. “Just focus on me.”

“Just forget what I said,” You muttered back, trying to shake his hands off of you. It felt too suffocating. “It was stupid anyway.”

“No,” Chris interrupted as he tightened his grip slightly, “Say it again.”

“Chris-”

“No. Say it back,” He cut you off with a soft intensity that you knew only he had. It wasn’t intimidating to you. “I need to know that you’re not afraid of what I’ll say back.”

“I…I can’t,” You stuttered before swallowing hard and biting back some of the tears. “I don’t think I can yet.”

“Yet,” Chris pointed out with an optimistic smile. He was trying to cheer you up, and the attempt made a small, weak smile spread across your lips. Honestly, it made your knees weak, but you just couldn’t say it. Not yet. “But I’ll wait as long as you need. And just so you know, I feel the same way.”

“You do?” You gasped lightly as your breath was taken away.

“If how you feel is that I’m super cute, yes,” Chris smiled before thinking for a second, as his smile slowly faded from his face. “Wait. Pause. I don’t find me super cute. That came out wrong. I meant you’re super cute.”

“So I didn’t ruin everything?” You asked through a grimace. This was where everything would go downhill. You had a feeling.

“Well, duh,” Chris deadpanned, and your heart dropped. Your breath got caught in your throat as you looked back around at everyone with more tears in your eyes. You bit your lip as you furiously wiped at your face and pushed away from Chris.

“I’m going home,” You muttered, not waiting for a response before walking the opposite way from the group. Behind you, you heard a couple of your friends calling after you before you rounded the corner. 

And just as you were out of the sight of all of your friends, you were spun around and backed against the wall with someone’s lips crashing against yours. 

Your eyes widened before recognizing Chris’s hair, so you relaxed completely between him and the wall. This time, your heart raced for a different reason until you remembered why you were leaving in the first place. You gently pushed Chris away, but still kept your hand resting on his shoulder as you just stared at him.

He took a deep breath before squeezing your size before muttering, “I don’t think I can say anything right today. I meant it as in yeah, it ruined our friendship, but I hoped it meant we would start something different. I just suck at words.”

“Clearly,” You chuckled, moving to leave a quick peck on his cheek. “Do better.”

“I will when I’m not six shots deep.” Chris chuckled before turning his head to catch your lips in a searing kiss. After a couple of beats, he realized, “Will we even remember this tomorrow?”

“I better,” You snapped, pulling back like he shocked you. “I still have a raging roadburn that says you fell for me!”

“Oh, right,” He trailed off, looking back at your arm, which was still dripping a little bit of blood. “I should help you clean that up.”

“You better or else you're starting off as the worst boyfriend ever.”

“Please, I already dropped you once,” Chris joked as he grabbed your hand and led you back towards the main street to grab a taxi or Uber. “Can I even go lower?”

~~~~~

yn.ln 

Liked by yourfriend, yourclassmate and 4,656 others

yn.ln: If you want to overcome the whole world, overcome yourself

user1 speak your truth

user2 This is art, not just fashion 😮👏

user3 the way you blend fashion and philosophy is unmatched

user4 first

user5 You never miss!!

~~

yn.ln

Liked by charlesleclerc, olliebearman and 9,676 others

yn.ln: How can you live and have no story to tell?

user6 IS THAT FERRARI

yn.ln maybeeeee

user7 did you design those???

yn.ln again maybeeeee

user8 You're literally living a movie

user9 This event was MADE for you

user10 no @/yn.ln MADE this event

yn.ln damn right

user11 slide 3 ateeee 😭

~~

yn.ln.spam 🔒

Liked by olliebearman, charlesleclerc and 11 others

yn.ln.spam: that was alternatively titled who let me cook?

yourfriend OMG DID YOU MEET CHARLES???

yn.ln.spam met him, lewis, ollie and some of the crew

yourfriend HOW ARE YOU NORMAL ABOUT THIS HELLO

yn.ln.spam wow calm down

charlesleclerc it was great meeting you! Your designs are amazing!

yn.ln.spam grazie, i am honored

~~

olliebrearman

Liked by kimi.antonelli, charlesleclerc and 25,425 others

olliebearman: On track it’s Ferrari, on the runway it’s Yn Ln, and somewhere in between, I’m learning. Thank you to @/ferrari for inviting me to this year's fashion show, and huge shout out to @/yn.ln for designing everything and teaching us a thing or two

user12 Ferrari x Vogue when???

yn.ln when i get paid more

user13 gurl REAL

user14 The crossover we didn’t know we needed

user15 DNFs in fashion? Couldn’t be you king

user16 no, couldn't be @/yn.ln

yn.ln yeah, couldn't be me i only serve

yn.ln.spam if only @/ferrari could be this good on track

~~

~~

~~

yn.ln

Liked by lewishamilton, olliebearman and 12,564 others

yn.ln: I have a new plan: to go mad

user17 IS THAT A BOY????

user18 Masculine, edgy, and elevated. You’re doing something different here

user19 That caption is a whole mood count me in 😵‍💫

user20 Not the softest soft launch with the loudest caption 💀

user21 She said gaslight, gatekeep, go mad 💅

~~

yn.ln.spam 🔒

Liked by olliebearman, yourfriend and 9 others

yn.ln.spam: @/me when one of the drivers in my dms is actually kinda cute

olliebearman is this about who i think it is???

yn.ln.spam maybeeeee

olliebearman youre not subtle

yn.ln.spam never said i was

~~

yn.ln

Liked by yourfriend, charlesleclerc and 14,284 others

yn.ln: The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding to live for

user22 Men’s fashion with emotion?? This is everything

user23 I NEED TO KNOW WHO HE IS

user24 so we’re just gonna ignore that it’s the same guy again??

user25 is someone in loveeee

user26 Plot twist: the muse is the man 😏

~~

yn.ln

Liked by olliebearman, kimi.antonelli and 14,284 others

yn.ln: I want to talk about everything with at least one person as I talk about things with myself

user27 This feels like peace. Like you found your person

user28 Why am I crying in my car over your soft launch???

user29 You’re soft launching him like it’s a Netflix series and I’m on episode 4

user30 WE SEE HIM WEVE BEEN SEEING HIM WHO IS HE

user31 Him cooking?? Door opening?? You’re cooked

~~

yn.ln.spam 🔒

Liked by kimi.antonelli, olliebearman and 23 others

yn.ln.spam: @/me when @/kimi calls me for the 123456789th time to make sure his fit matches

kimi.antonelli just making sure

yn.ln YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW

yourfriend can confirm, i’ve seen it

yn.ln.spam you didnt see shit

~~

yn.ln

Liked by olliebearman, connorzilisch, and 26,516 others

yn.ln: You were destined for me. Perhaps as a punishment

yn.ln also boyfriend appreciation post but i couldn’t throw off my dostoevsky aesthetic 

user32 Y’all are the iconic couple we needed this year

user33 Relationship goals but make it literature-class vibes

user34 Plot twist: this is actually a Dostoevsky fanfic

user35 KIMI?? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??

user36 OK but can we get the full story please??

~~

yn.ln

Liked by kimi.antonelli, olliebearman, and 32,169 others

yn.ln: He knew me by heart. It infuriated me that he knew me by heart

user37 Knowing someone that well is both a blessing and a curse

yn.ln yeah tell me about it

kimi.antonelli you say that like it’s a bad thing

yn.ln it’s not but you know what i want before even i do and sometimes its scary when you pop up with flowers and a random trip to the zoo!

kimi.antonelli YOU WANTED TO GO??

user38 i feel like i’m intruding

user39 that mix of annoyed and obsessed energy lol

user40 Relationship realness and I’m living for it

user41 GOALS

~~~~~

“Heads up,” Gavi joked as he bumped against Pedri’s shoulder as they walked onto the pitch.

Pedri looked at him, confused, before Gavi just nodded in your direction in the stands. Right next to their bench stood you, still in your own kit after blasting back to Barcelona after a match in Madrid earlier that day. 

Pedri met your eyes with a wide smile as you started jumping and screaming his name. Even with a stadium full of fans, he would always hear you. He sent a quick wave toward you, and you blew a kiss to him. He pretended to catch it and hold it against his heart before running to catch up with the rest of the team.

“You two are disgusting,” Gavi muttered when Pedri slid in next to him.

“You’re jealous,” Pedri joked, bumping into Gavi’s side before locking in for the match at hand.

“Not in the slightest,” Gavi laughed before paying attention to the coach.

Pedri was one of the starters. Gavi, on the other hand, was not cleared yet after a hamstring injury, so he was on the bench the whole match. Every once in a while, he would banter with you a bit. That’s how close you were to their bench. Plus, Gavi decided to sit as humanly possible to where you were.

You two were friends. You met Gavi when you moved in next to him, and he introduced you to Pedri back when you were all first starting out in football. You were three peas in a pod. Well, until Pedri asked you out. Gavi ended up being your number 1 cheerleader.

That’s why Gavi had no problem bantering with you throughout the entire match. He would make jokes, tease you about Pedri, and just generally catch up. 

It did not go unnoticed by some of the other teammates. 

Hector, Lamine, and Pau had seen you before the match even started. Sure, Lamine was one of the starters, but Hector and Pau were starting in the second half and could spend most of the first half watching you. Heck, even when they were on the pitch, their attention sometimes drifted to you, and they may or may not have missed a couple of passes.

The boys won. Did you expect anything less? No. That’s why there was already a celebration outing planned before the match even started. You opted to go to the restaurant early since you drove separately anyway, but that also gave the team enough time to shower, debrief, and breathe before going out again. 

You were simply chatting with the staff when some of the guys started rolling in. You only recognized a couple of them, but you noticed immediately that Pedri and Gavi were noticeably absent. 

“Gavi forgot his meds at his place, so Pedri offered to drive him,” Fermin answered the question you never answered. You nodded in response as the rest of the team filed into the separate room that was reserved for this dinner.

You sat down next to Robert and began talking to him about the season so far. You had your jacket over the back of the seat next to you to save it for Pedri, but that seat was quickly occupied by someone you didn’t know.

“Uh, hi?” You addressed him with a forced smile as the seats around you filled in with a bunch of players you didn’t know. By the time Pedri and Gavi came in, the only spots open were on the opposite end of the table. You had also learned all of the names of the new guys around you: Pau, Hector, and Lamine. You smiled sadly towards Pedri before Hector and Pau pulled you back into their conversation.

“Wait, what was it you said you do again?” Hector asked across from you and pulling your attention away from Pedri.

“Um, I’m a midfielder for the feminine team,” you answered awkwardly as Hector, Pau and Lamine leaned onto their forearms on the table. “We just one our last match against Real Madrid yesterday too, and I scored one of the goals in that match.”

“Ooo, tell us more,” Pau sighed, leaning closer to you.

“I hate this,” Pedri muttered to Gavi as he watched all three of his younger teammates shamelessly and hopelessly flirt with you. He could tell you were uncomfortable as you continued to answer their questions as bluntly as possible, but they just kept firing back. “Do they not notice she’s uncomfortable?”

“They don’t know her,” Gavi chuckled, watching as Pedri glared at their other teammates. If looks could kill, Pau, Hector, and Lamine would have been dead yesterday. “Why don’t you go over there and show them?”

“You’re right.” Pedri was already standing and walking away.

“I was kidding, but okay,” Gavi muttered, yet Pedri was already standing behind your chair.

“Sorry, boys, but she’s mine,” He said simply as he pulled your chair back. “We’ll pull your chair over to our side now.”

He didn’t give you a second to reach before he was holding out a hand and gesturing for you to stand. You immediately took it as the two of you walked hand in hand back over to the other side. He pulled out his old seat across from Gavi, offering that to you instead before heading back to retrieve your old chair.

“Talk about making a scene,” Gavi chuckled under his breath, but you heard it clear as day. “I can’t with him sometimes.”

“When does he not when he’s jealous?” You giggled with him as Pedri walked back over with what used to be your chair and placed it at the head of the table.

“Oh, also, Cubarsi, ” Pedri shouted from the opposite side of the table, causing the boy to look over at him nervously, “Her jacket, please.”

“Oh my god, Pedri, stop mortifying them,” You groaned, hiding your face in your hands as Pau came over to hand your jacket off to Pedri.

“It’s not my fault that they decided to flirt with my girl,” Pedri grumbled as he folded your jacket across the back of his chair.

“Maybe if they knew she was your girl, they wouldn’t flirt with her,” Gavi piped up before immediately dropping his head to avoid the glare coming from Pedri.

“Do I need to show you pictures from when we first got together? I swear some of you weren’t even alive!”

“Okay, that’s an exaggeration, Pedri,” You finally cut in, seeing their shocked faces. “The youngest there is 18, no? We have not been together that long.”

“Pretty damn close if you ask me,” Pedri clapped back, pulling your chair closer to him, so he could wrap an arm around your shoulder. You noticed how all three younger boys kept their eyes on you, and apparently, Pedri noticed as well. “Eyes off, boys.”

~~~~~