₊∘ 𐔌 in the paddock, i found you ⸝⸝ ꒱
❝ in the paddock, i found you ❞ — kimi antonelli x fem!reader
you’re george russell’s friend, and a simple visit to a formula 1 race weekend turns into months of quiet glances, missed chances, and slow realization between you and kimi.
warnings : slow burn, shy fem!reader, miscommunication, pining, fluff, kissing, not proofread
word count: 2.5k , masterlist , a/n : hi first kimi fic hehehe
it starts with a race you weren’t even sure you wanted to go to. george makes it sound easy. like it’s just a weekend trip, like you’ll just stand somewhere quiet and watch things happen
“you’ll be fine,” he says, walking ahead of you through the paddock. “just stay close to me if you’re lost”
“i don’t get lost that easily,” you say
he glances back. “you literally got lost in a mall last week.”
you stop walking. “that’s not true!”
he doesn’t even turn around. “it is.”
and somehow you still follow him anyway.
the paddock in person is different from anything you’ve seen online, it’s louder, faster, more alive than it looks on tv, like everything is slightly too important to slow down for you to catch up
you stick close to george because he’s the only person you know
“this is my friend,” he tells someone in the mercedes garage casually
you give a small wave. “hi”
that’s it. you already feel like you’ve said too much.
you don’t notice kimi at first but he notices you.
not in a dramatic way, just a pause in his attention when george is talking and his eyes flick past him to you instead.
you’re standing slightly off to the side of the garage, hands tucked in your pockets, watching everything like you’re trying not to be noticed by it. and you’re doing a really good job. maybe too good..
later he asks george quietly
george doesn’t look up. “my friend. i told you.”
george laughs immediately. “no!”
and that’s it. but that “oh” sticks somewhere in the back of his head longer than it should.
now he’s thinking about you as something he can approach/ or maybe something he shouldn’t. he’s not sure yet, so he chooses “shouldn’t”
that becomes the pattern for weeks. you come to races because george invites you again, you stand in garages and paddocks trying to figure out where to put your hands, you say “hi” when spoken to and “yes” when needed and otherwise you just listen
kimi sees you every weekend. and every weekend he does the same thing
he looks, hesitates, doesn’t approach.
because in his head, you’re still “with george”. or at least close enough that it would be weird. so, he keeps his distance
he nods when he passes you, once he says “hey” quietly
you respond with a simple “hello”
and then he walks away like that was supposed to mean nothing
you watch him go and think about it longer than you should
george notices this part faster than anyone
“why are you two being weird?” he asks kimi one weekend
“you literally don’t talk to her at all”
george stares. “you could know her”
because he doesn’t know how.
it changes slowly without either of you planning it
it’s a race weekend a few weeks later when kimi finally doesn’t walk away
you’re standing near the garage again, same place, same posture, like you’ve claimed it without meaning to
he walks up and stops beside you instead of passing
you glance at him. “hello”
“you always stand here?” he asks
“no,” you say. “just… here today”
you shrug. “it’s quieter.”
he nods. “yeah. it’s always loud”
you look at him briefly. “you don’t like it?”
“i do,” he says. “just not all of it”
you don’t really know what to say to that. so you just nod. and he doesn’t leave
after that, it becomes inconsistent but real
not every weekend, not every time, but sometimes he’s just there like it’s not a big decision anymore
“do you understand what they’re doing?” he asks once, watching engineers in the garage
“same,” he says immediately
you blink at him. “you drive in it”
“yeah,” he shrugs. “doesn’t mean i understand it”
you almost smile at that.
“you’re very quiet when you think.”
“i don’t know what else to do.”
you look at him. “about what?”
he thinks for a second. “anything.”
he smiles a little. “it is. just start somewhere”
you don’t, but you think about it later anyway
george is suffering through all of this in real time
“you’re following her around now,” he tells kimi one afternoon like it’s obvious
“you are always near her”
kimi sighs. “…okay sometimes it is”
that question hangs longer than it should. kimi looks away first
george makes a face like he already predicted this outcome and hates it anyway
“yeah,” he says. “i can see that becoming a problem for you”
kimi ignores that. but he doesn’t stop..
race after race, garage after garage, small conversations that don’t feel like enough but also feel like something neither of you wants to lose.
you start noticing him before he speaks. he starts waiting for you to show up before he moves away. you still don’t talk much. but now silence doesn’t feel like absence. it feels like familiarity
late in the season is when it finally changes properly.
after a race weekend that feels longer than the rest, you’re outside the garage leaning against a barrier while everything slowly shuts down.
people are tired, loudness turns into quiet, motion turns into packing up.
kimi finds you there like he’s been doing it without thinking.
he stands beside you instead of in front of you and for a while neither of you say anything, he finally he speaks
“i thought you were with george at first”
you look at him. “what? ew! no!”
“i know now,” he says quickly
silence again. but it’s not awkward anymore, it’s just… full
“i like talking to you,” he says
you glance at him. “we barely talk”
you think about that. not for a second. longer
it comes out quieter than you expect. like saying it too loud would make it not real.
kimi doesn’t move right away. he just looks at you for a second like he’s checking he heard you properly over everything still fading out from the garage behind you. the last engineers talking, a cart rolling somewhere far off, someone laughing too loudly in the distance.
that’s it. no big reaction, no sudden shift in the air. just something settling between you like it’s been trying to land for a while and finally found the ground.
he looks away first, not because he’s disinterested, but because he looks slightly overwhelmed by something he doesn’t say out loud.
“okay,” he says after a second.
you glance at him. “okay what?”
he shrugs, but there’s a small smile there now, like he’s trying not to make it obvious he’s relieved.
you hum quietly. “that’s not an answer.”
that makes you pause a little. because it’s such a simple thing to say, but it doesn’t feel simple coming from him. it feels like he’s been holding something in for a long time and just decided not to anymore
you look back out toward the paddock. it’s almost empty now, lights softer than earlier, everything slowing down like the world finally got tired too
“you always overthink everything?” you ask after a moment
kimi lets out a short laugh
“yeah,” he says immediately. “a lot”
you nod like that makes sense
he looks at you. “that sounds fake”
you tilt your head slightly. “it’s not” it is.
he pauses, then smiles a bit more properly now
you roll your eyes a little. “you’re annoying.”
“you’re lying,” he replies.
that makes you look at him again. he’s still smiling, but it’s smaller now. less teasing. more like he’s just… comfortable being here with you in a way he wasn’t at the start of all this.
the paddock is almost fully empty now. just distant voices, the low hum of equipment being shut down, lights dimming one by one across the garages.
you shift slightly against the barrier.
“why do you always do that?” you ask.
“stay,” you say. “even when you don’t have to.”
he looks at you for a second before answering, and this time, he doesn’t look away while thinking.
“because i want to,” he says simply.
no joke in it. no hesitation. just the truth. that quiets you for a second in a way you don’t really expect.
kimi notices. he always notices.
“you make it easy,” he adds after a beat, softer.
you blink. “i don’t even talk that much.”
“yeah,” he says. “that’s not what i mean.”
your chest tightens a little at that, and you don’t know why immediately, which makes it worse.
you look down for half a second, then back up.
“what do you mean then?” you ask quietly.
he finally turns his whole body slightly toward you now. not fully blocking your space, just… choosing to be there more intentionally.
“i mean i don’t feel like i have to think too hard,” he says. “when i’m with you.”
you go quiet. that’s not something you hear a lot in a place like this. in this world. especially not said like that.
he exhales, like he’s deciding something now that he’s been circling for a while.
“i tried not to make it a thing,” he admits. “at first.”
you glance at him. “a thing?”
that lands differently than anything else so far. you don’t interrupt him, so he keeps going, voice still low.
“i thought you were with george at first,” he says again, but this time it’s not confusion, just explanation. “so i stayed away.”
“then i wasn’t sure anymore,” he adds. “but i still stayed away anyway.”
you frown slightly. “why?”
he looks at you properly now, and there’s no hesitation in him anymore.
“because i didn’t know what i was allowed to want,” he says.
silence hits after that. not awkward. just real.
he doesn’t even hesitate this time.
“now i don’t want to stay away.”
that’s the closest he gets to building up to it. he shifts a little, hands in his pockets, but his eyes stay on you.
your brain goes still for a second like it’s waiting for more words that don’t come.
he watches you carefully. “oh?”
you nod a little, like you’re trying to catch up with how calm he’s being about something that doesn’t feel calm at all.
“yeah,” you say. “i just- yeah.”
that does something to him immediately, even if it’s subtle.
his shoulders loosen slightly, like tension he didn’t realize he was holding finally lets go. he looks away for half a second, then back at you.
“yeah?” he asks, quieter now.
there’s a pause after that where neither of you move, but it doesn’t feel frozen anymore.
it feels like everything has just… shifted into place.
kimi looks toward the empty paddock for a second, then back at you.
you huff a small laugh. “you really like that word.”
he almost smiles again. “it works.”
you step away from the barrier slightly, slow, like you’re testing what this moment feels like now that it’s real.
he thinks for a second, then answers honestly.
“now i walk you out properly,” he says.
you raise an eyebrow. “you’ve been doing that already.”
“not like this,” he says.
you pause and then nod once.
that gets a small breath of a laugh out of him.
you start walking first this time, and after a second he matches your pace like he’s been doing it for months without realizing it meant something more than it did at the beginning.
no distance now, no guessing.
just the two of you walking out of the paddock like it’s the most normal thing in the world that it took months to get here.
you don’t talk for a while. not because there’s nothing to say. because nothing feels urgent anymore.
the sounds of the paddock fade behind you slowly, replaced by quieter air outside the garages, the kind that feels less like pressure and more like space.
kimi walks slightly closer than he used to. not touching, not hesitating either, just closer.
you glance at him once, then look away like it’s nothing. but he notices anyway. of course he does..
you shake your head. “nothing.”
he doesn’t accept that immediately.
“that’s not true,” he says.
you huff a small breath through your nose. “you’re really confident now all of a sudden.”
he glances at you. there’s something lighter in his face than there was earlier. like something has finally stopped sitting too heavy on him.
“i just know when you’re thinking something,” he says.
you raise an eyebrow. “oh really?”
you slow down slightly without meaning to. he slows with you. you look at him properly this time. he looks back.
and it doesn’t feel like the past months of almosts anymore. it feels simple.
you don’t even fully decide to move closer it just happens in the space between one step and the next.
kimi stops walking first. then you stop. there’s a second where neither of you says anything, but it’s not hesitation anymore.
he looks at you like he’s checking once more that this is real.
you blink. “can you what?”
he doesn’t answer with words. he just lifts a hand slightly, slow, giving you time to move away if you wanted to.
you don’t. so he steps in closer. careful, not rushed, like hes been waiting a long time to do exactly this without messing it up.
his hand brushes your sleeve first, then settles more properly like he’s making sure you’re still there, still real.
“is this okay?” he asks again, softer.
he exhales lightly, like something in him finally stops holding its breath.
it’s not dramatic or not rushed or unsure. it’s just quiet and real and warm in a way that makes everything else feel far away for a second.
when he pulls back, it’s only slightly, like he doesn’t fully want to yet. you’re still close enough that it doesn’t feel like separation.
“okay?” he asks again, quieter now, almost a habit.
you let out a small breath that turns into something like a laugh.
and this time when you start walking again, his hand finds yours without needing to ask.
and neither of you let go.
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