Being the huge Bastille fan that I am, I thought that Ampersand album deserves its set of themed fics. As all wonderful albums do (for Bastille, it's all of them).
As we make our way through the 14 tracks, each one of them will be dedicated to a separate short story (between 500 and 1k words) involving a Formula 1 driver and most importantly - you. In those stories, you will read about your friends, your lovers and your traitors. There will be joy of new beginnings but sadness of inevitable endings will follow us, too.
So take a walk with me through these lives, will you?
Intros & Narrators -> Lewis Hamilton
Synopsis: When insecurity clouds your mind again, Lewis is there to remind you that your self-doubt is an unreliable narrator.
Eve & Paradise Lost -> Charles Leclerc
Synopsis: Both of you knew it was wrong to continue the affair - you're married to another man, after all. When the news breaks out, you commit one last act of love for Charles and spin the story that you are solely responsible for the scandal. You will always take the fall for it but you both ate the fruit.
Emily & Her Penthouse In The Sky -> Carlos Sainz
Synopsis: Ever since the two of you got together, Carlos noticed your peculiar habit. Sometimes you'd be sitting, lost in thought. Then, you'd take out a sketchbook, scribble something and put it away. Thinking it's something like a diary, he never asked. Until curiosity got the best of him and you finally showed Carlos your penthouse in the sky.
Blue Sky & The Painter -> Oscar Piastri
Synopsis: After countless almost-kisses with you, Oscar is being eaten alive by the uncertainty of your feelings. The resolution to his dilemma comes under the guise of Lando's party and in the words of the host himself: "It's about damn time".
Leonard & Marianne -> Lando Norris
Synopsis: He knows you're better off on his own. As much love as he can give you, it will never make up for the fact that he's no good for you. There's a beautiful stranger sleeping beside him but in his head, he's miles away. Even though he's dreaming of the days with you, he hopes you never take him back again.
Marie & Polonium -> Max Verstappen
Synopsis: Sitting at the top isn't quite what he's been imagining. People love him, hate him and always seem to know better what he should be doing - that includes his love life. Maybe all the keyboard warriors are correct and you are, in fact, turning Max soft but the man himself will always choose to love you deeper, even if it kills him.
Red Wine & Wilde -> Carlos Sainz
Synopsis: For you, it's nothing beyond sex without commitment. For Carlos, however, it's a few hours with the love of his life. Each time, he convinces you to stay a little longer and make mistakes until the daylight. After all, nothing's real after midnight.
Seasons & Narcissus -> Daniel Ricciardo
Synopsis: He's no stranger to love and infatuation. But Daniel has to admit to himself that with you, it's not exactly what he's used to. This greedy, selfish love... Is this real love he's falling in?
Drawbridge & The Baroness -> Lewis Hamilton
Synopsis: He knows he shouldn't have gone back to the hotel with that other woman. Lewis also knows you're hard-headed and there is no way he can talk his way out of this one. Still, he's sitting at the foot of your bedroom door, waiting for a chance that might never come because we all do stupid shit for love.
The Soprano & Midnight Wonderings -> Oscar Piastri
Synopsis: When he can't sleep, Oscar ponders the could-have-been. You're happier now, aren't you? That's what all your friends say. Now that you're away from the limelight of being a "WAG", you have exactly what you wanted. Still, he can't help but think about the things we lose too soon.
Essie & Paul -> Max Verstappen
Synopsis: You're an engineer on his racing team so if your relationship is ever made public, you could lose your job. Max can provide for you but it's not the money that haunts you - it's the love for the craft. He's not one for sneaking around but if it's gonna make you happy, then that's what he needs.
Mademoiselle & The Nunnery Blaze -> Charles Leclerc
Synopsis: Considering your family's position, your relationship with Charles would be a social faux pas of a previously unknown level. Nevertheless, you find your lover across the room. Staring into his eyes, you can almost hear him say "Ma amour, say the word and I will go with you anywhere".
Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her -> Daniel Ricciardo
Synopsis: Retirement looks great on him and, surprisingly, he's not as gutted as one might expect. You think it's quite impressive, actually. He's survived highs and lows, and when the time came, he left with grace and a smile on his face. Daniel might let you in on his little secret when you ask him how did he do it.
Telegraph Road 1977 & 2024 -> Lando Norris
Synopsis: For Lando, the words "first love" just make him think of his childhood neighbour. Then, his heart breaks a little when he remembers she's somewhere in San Francisco. How surprised he is when it turns out you're much closer - in an apartment across the hall. Lando couldn't be more grateful for the strange mysteries that led you to this doorway.
After posting, each fic will be linked here, so save this post as a shortcut!
Lando Norris, teenage fangirls and DTS - a thought about rampant misogyny
After Sunday's regrettable DNF, at least one person on Instagram has claimed to have had sent a message via Instagram DMs to FIA regarding possible sabotage of Lando's car by the team to improve Oscar's chances (might well be a hoax). Which is a ridiculous claim. But that's not why I got on the soapbox today:
I frequent Reddit threads about Formula 1. Both the serious ones and the more joking ones, filled with memes and satire. Aside from the obvious element in common, both subreddits seem to be convinced that Lando's fans are 99.99% teenage girls who only watch DTS and TikTok edits. Could be true, could be a total lie. The validity of this claim is secondary to its primary goal - an insult.
"A teenage girl's idol" is used in a derogatory way towards Lando. It's meant to show that he's somehow below other drivers, he's not as good or as serious about the sport. He's on the same level as Kpop male idols, which (in some people's minds) is unworthy of motorsport fans' attention.
[I don't think the BTS guys care while living in mansions and driving expensive cars.]
Insulting a person you know nothing about is the Internet's favourite pastime, although quite an immature one. It's like people forget that the persona you see on the TV is probably fabricated; tailored to the media's tastes. But it's been happening ever since World Wide Web actually became worldwide. Another thing that has always existed is rampant misogyny in male-dominated areas.
Why is it so bad if someone's fandom was mostly adolescent women? Would it be better if those adolescents were men? If you're insulting the entire fandom, why is their gender so important? What does it change?
Not to compare apples to oranges but can you recall other famous people whose fandom was predominantly young women? I can: The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald. Musicians, now regarded as important cultural phenomena, used to be dismissed and treated as less artistic or serious simply because their fans were predominantly women. Some occupations are socially regarded as "less prestigious" because they're female-dominated (think about it: pre-K teachers are usually women, while the pre-K owners/principals are usually men). Musicians gain their worth when men decide they like them. The music doesn't change. The artist doesn't change. Only the audience.
I can't speak on the topic of TikTok F1 spaces because I don't frequent them. I can, however, talk about DTS. Yes, I'm one of those people who watched it. A horror! Only after joining other F1 Internet spaces did I learn how fake that show is. I mean, how was I supposed to know? I knew nothing about the drivers or motorsports aside from seeing that one clip of a kid yelling "Charles Leclerc" and almost spitting out his lungs. There was nothing about the show that could have made me go "something isn't right". After joining other Internet spaces, mostly Reddit, I learnt the truth and was glad to do so. Now I can enjoy the sport with a much clearer view of certain situations. The Internet, however, isn't so easy to forgive and forget. Somehow, people who saw DTS are magically tainted. It's like the "OF detected, opinion rejected" trend all over again (which was also misogyny). If we want newcomers to know the truth and not trust scripted, fake drama, treating them as outcasts is not the way to go. How else are they supposed to learn? Would you rather they walk around repeating the lies perpetrated by a mockumentary posing as a documentary?
I was in a situation where two men assumed, from my McLaren hoodie, that I MUST be a DTS fan who saw Lando Norris and decided to be his fan because "he's so pretty" (their words, not mine). Mind you, we were strangers. I have never met these guys before. They knew nothing about me. Because they were speaking a different language that is dominant in this country, I simply waited for them to finish and asked "you guys know I can hear you, right?". To which they replied, "Yes, it was on purpose". I'm sure they didn't expect me to say anything because, as I said, they spoke a language most people around here maybe know conversationally.
That situation made me realize that the problem wasn't the fact that I had a McLaren hoodie. It wasn't the fact that I maybe supported a different team than them. No, the problem was the fact that I am a woman. If I was a man, they wouldn't have said that. Maybe they would have struck up a conversation about F1. We could have had a conversation like that but they chose not to do so. The fact that I am a woman, supporting a certain team, immediately made me a seasonal fan who just wants drama and pretty boys.
Because women don't have interests outside of that. Women can't like something that isn't revolved around men or catering to them.
Just learnt that Toto Wolff can speak quite good Polish, so if Christian Horny starts acting up Toto can say ~A zajebać ci?~ and I think that's beautiful ❤️
sometimes when I need a laugh I imagine a Formula 1-themed sitcom in the style of Disney Channel shows:
a stereotypical German mechanic whose #1 solution to all problems is a flamethrower, explosives or homicide
driver #1, who is dumber than a bag of rocks and is gullible af but has unbelievable luck
a strategist who is a little paranoid and a conspiracy theorist (always has a race strategy for alien invasion, believes that other teams use 5G to give her stomach ache on race days [she's just nervous])
driver #1's emo race engineer who low-key hates the driver and is accidentally the funniest person around
a team principal who doesn't do shit, is a little clueless about his job and the world of motorsport but he's pretty much everyone's supportive dad
a hr person who talks exclusively in therapy speak
a pr worker who talks only in internet lingo and acts like a cringey tiktok influencer
driver #1's manager, who is probably the only voice of reason in this mess
pitstop mechanics who have very similar sounding names, sometimes only the spelling is different
driver #2 who is into MLMs, zodiac signs, crystals, etc. Each week they're into a new fad
driver #2's race engineer who gets very philosophical, especially at the inappropriate times ("how are your tires? well, isn't that an interesting question? do tires feel? if they do, what do they feel? when you're racing, tearing them down with every turn, are they happy? content with their fate?")
driver #2's manager who pretends to go along with all the fads and spiritual stuff ("yes, the milk in this coffee was definitely blessed by silent monks in the Himalayas and it's not just regular cow milk")
I talked about our protagonists but a good comedy needs a funny kind of evil:
rival team principal, who is a walking cowboy Texas gun-loving stereotype. Talks with a heavy drawl and uses only ranch/farm lingo and analogies. His rivalry with the protagonist team principal goes back to a game of air hockey when they were 7
rival team driver #1, who acts all high and mighty but cries over the smallest things
rival team's pr lady, who is basically Regina George is the protagonist team's emo race engineer's sister (they roast each other and their respective teams together)
rival team's mechanic who loves to overcomplicate his contraptions and ends up reinventing the wheel under a very complicated, too-long-to-be-serious name
rival team's driver #2, who is a scaredy-cat
rival team's driver #1's manager, who should have gone into performing arts (very dramatic; WILL dance and break out into a song unprompted)
rival team's strategist is basically a sabotage operative (putting laxatives in someone's food, putting itching powder in the other team's mechanics' clothes, etc.)
rival team's driver #2's race engineer, who learned English through gangsta rap
rival team's driver #2's manager, who is a finance guy/snake oil salesman and is always scamming his driver and the protagonist team's drivers into the most asinine useless products
rival team's hr person who tries to be positive and motivating but ends up insulting everyone and plummeting the team's morale
sometimes when I need a laugh I imagine a Formula 1-themed sitcom in the style of Disney Channel shows:
a stereotypical German mechanic whose #1 solution to all problems is a flamethrower, explosives or homicide
driver #1, who is dumber than a bag of rocks and is gullible af but has unbelievable luck
a strategist who is a little paranoid and a conspiracy theorist (always has a race strategy for alien invasion, believes that other teams use 5G to give her stomach ache on race days [she's just nervous])
driver #1's emo race engineer who low-key hates the driver and is accidentally the funniest person around
a team principal who doesn't do shit, is a little clueless about his job and the world of motorsport but he's pretty much everyone's supportive dad
a hr person who talks exclusively in therapy speak
a pr worker who talks only in internet lingo and acts like a cringey tiktok influencer
driver #1's manager, who is probably the only voice of reason in this mess
pitstop mechanics who have very similar sounding names, sometimes only the spelling is different
driver #2 who is into MLMs, zodiac signs, crystals, etc. Each week they're into a new fad
driver #2's race engineer who gets very philosophical, especially at the inappropriate times ("how are your tires? well, isn't that an interesting question? do tires feel? if they do, what do they feel? when you're racing, tearing them down with every turn, are they happy? content with their fate?")
driver #2's manager who pretends to go along with all the fads and spiritual stuff ("yes, the milk in this coffee was definitely blessed by silent monks in the Himalayas and it's not just regular cow milk")
I see your mafia au Formula 1 fanfics and I raise you this one:
f1 driver x thief!reader
He's a multimillionaire, no one would bat an eye if he showed up to some closed elite auction or became interested in collecting art/antiques. It's like a magician and the assistant: while everyone focuses on the magician, it's the assistant who's truly responsible for the trick to work. So while everyone is focused on the driver, no one really pays that much attention to their partner. Likewise, no one will notice if the partner disappears for a minute or two, mingles with certain people, enters closed-off areas or admires the items to be auctioned off later in the evening.
But is he all innocent? Of course not! He's got a good eye and a great reputation, travels a lot and meets influential people. It's the magician who books the show, is it not? And it's the magician who's put on flyers and posters. While he's the gateway to possibilities, no one will suspect a thing because he's doing nothing out of the ordinary for the people of his sort. The fact that a vase or a painting might disappear at an auction he's also at is purely a coincidence.
Mademoiselle & The Nunnery Blaze - Charles Leclerc
SUMMARY: Considering your family's position, your relationship with Charles would be a social faux pas of a previously unknown level. Nevertheless, you find your lover across the room. Staring into his eyes, you can almost hear him say "Ma amour, say the word and I will go with you anywhere".
WC: 910
We spend so much of our lives wondering whether we ‘can’, that rarely anyone stops to ponder whether they ‘should’. What is the purpose of all those pearls, oysters and champagne if not to simply impose your wealth on those you only pretend to tolerate? The more you think about it, the hotter your fury grows.
If it’s all for show, does it truly matter who you meet at the church altar? Social rules, unlike facts of nature, can be bent to the heart’s content. So why not bend them just one more time?
You laugh at the banker’s comment despite having no idea what he’s been talking about for the past few minutes. Truthfully, he’s not interested in an actual dialogue, either. All he yearns for is proof that he is accepted by the social group he deems elite, a circle he strives to join. In a way, you pity him. Is his world truly void of better aspirations?
The musings of the rich and insecure continue around you. Keeping up your carefully mastered facade, you take small sips from the champagne flute and discretely look around. He told you he’ll be there and he is not the type of man who throws promises into the wind.
Like a moon surrounded by jealous stars, you notice him immediately. Charles is across the ballroom, equally uninterested in the vapid conversation he’s been woven into. His only contribution is a polite smile and an occasional nod.
When he lifts his gaze, your eyes meet. There’s a certain softness to his expression that renders you breathless for a moment. One would think that after so much time you’d grow used to his beauty but a lovestruck heart is forgetful – it longs to admire the object of its dalliance and yet, each time they are nearby, the heart loses its rhythm as if it’s their first time meeting again.
That moment couldn’t have been long. Nonetheless, you felt like hours might have gone by. The world around you ceased, the empty conversations silenced. There was only you, Charles and a quiet exchange of thoughts, all spoken in lovesick stares. He doesn’t move his lips but the desperate, yearning look in his eyes tells you everything you need to know. Holding his gaze, you can almost hear him whisper into your ear: Ma amour, say the word and I will go with you anywhere.
Despite the shackles of etiquette and the silver spoons shoved so deep into your throats you’re choking on them, you decide to take him up on that unspoken offer. You’ve spent your whole life living according to appearances and artificial rules, so why shouldn’t you be selfish for once?
In harmony that only befits fated lovers, both you and Charles politely excuse yourselves and casually make your way towards a faraway balcony.
The night air is refreshingly chilly. Judging by the sound of traffic and people living their mundane lives, no one really cares about some banquet filled with personas so important most of them don’t even have Wikipedia pages. How wonderful it would be to be a nobody…
His arm is warm and heavy around your waist, steadily tethering you to the present moment. You take in a deep breath. The faint yet distinct smell of Charles washes over you like cleansing rainfall. If only he could wash you free of your pedigree.
“You look exquisite.” His warm breath gently brushes your neck, sending a thrilling shiver down your spine. Giving way to his lovestruck fantasies, Charles lightly sways the two of you to the waltz played by the orchestra. The melody is faint on the balcony as if played in an adjacent universe and not next door. “God must be a man. Who else would allow me to hold you like this?”
You swallow the tears beginning to pool in your eyes. “And yet he made us who we are.”
“I said he must be a man, not that he’s kind,” he whispers into your ear.
Ever the gentleman, Charles comes off almost fearful in his movements as he turns you to face him. Engulfed in his embrace, staring into his soft, glistening eyes, you feel strangely small. Not insignificant but rather like stars feel minuscule next to the moon in the night sky – right where they belong.
He continues to sway the two of you to the melody performed by the orchestra. Then, Charles gently places his forehead against yours. How can someone be so close to you and yet be miles away? Your shaky breaths mix like tides of estranged seas that miraculously meet when nature mercifully allows them; the waters crash in a ravaging storm as the forbidden lovers exchange a longing kiss filled with nothing but heartache and foolish hope.
Forsaking what remains of his pride, Charles whispers to you in a pleading, miserable tone: “Say the word and I will go with you anywhere.” Only great men like him could be so cruel as to keep the fire of tragic love alive. “We could go anywhere, we’ll leave all of this far behind us,” he continues. But it’s not you he should be bargaining with; the ones who could accept his pleas are known to be deaf and blind to the woes of mortals.
“I know,” you answer. “But no matter where we go, we’ll still be us.”
The sound of balcony doors opening makes your heart stop.
Everything is about to change.
Check out other fics in the Ampersand Themed Works
SUMMARY: For Lando, the words "first love" just make him think of his childhood neighbour. Then, his heart breaks a little when he remembers she's somewhere in San Francisco. How surprised he is when it turns out you're much closer - in an apartment across the hall. Lando couldn't be more grateful for the strange mysteries that led you to this doorway.
WC: 983
Everybody has those moments when they are suddenly reminded of someone they knew long ago. Old classmates, kids from summer camp, playground friends – people who once were part of your daily life but now you think about them maybe once a year if not less often. Those silent questions of “I wonder what happened to them?” come and go just as quickly, like a golden brown leaf carried by the wild, autumn wind.
Lando is something of an exception to that rule. The thoughts of his old neighbour never quite leave him, as though his autumn is more of a perpetuity than a season. Despite the passage of time, that curious quirk of his stuck. However, the why has changed. While still a child, he’d ponder the memories of you simply out of longing. It is only natural when one’s closest companion is gone one day. Then, as his young heart began revolving around crushes, dates and girlfriends, Lando suffered an epiphany. Finally, he understands! It was as if on some random Tuesday lightning had struck him – it was love he felt for you, not just friendship. And what a tale of one’s first love it told! “We were inseparable, soulmates, if you will, when one day she moved away and I never heard from her again.” Truly, a drama worth a thousand novels.
Little does he know, that those strange mysteries that separate lovers, sometimes lead them to each other’s doorways…
Lando is closing his front door, when the sound of paws tapping the floor grabs his attention. Without much thought, he looks down the corridor.
The tapping belongs to a rather happy-looking Scottish setter. He recognizes the breed only because he’s spent his childhood running around a small British town with you and two of those dogs. Despite the lingering memories of the past, Lando doesn’t mind the pet any longer, again focusing on his own things. Then, a strangely familiar voice distracts him again:
“Come on, Axel! We’ll have plenty of time to make friends later.”
Almost giving himself whiplash, Lando looks for the source of the sound. Could it be…?
You’re a little surprised when you hear someone calling out your name in a questioning manner. As far as you know, none of your friends live in Monaco. So how come someone here knows you? Fixing your grip on the box labelled Kitchen, you take a look around the corridor.
For a moment, you think you’re just seeing things. But you’ve stared at that face for so long, you could recognize him in the darkest, most inexplicable fever dream; the face that you’ve associated with home for your whole life.
“Oh my God, Lando Norris!” you exclaim between chuckles. “I can’t believe it!”
His cheeks redden a little. “You remember me?” The question has a distinct tone of surprise.
“Of course I do! You were my best friend,” you say. “Well, the only friend for a few years,” you add, your voice noticeably quieter than before.
“What are you doing here? I thought your family moved to San Francisco.”
It is only then that Lando truly sees who you’ve become throughout all those years away. Perhaps you are more beautiful than he could imagine but you’re also much sadder. There’s a wistful look in your eye, a tell-tale sign of maturity that is only born out of tears. He can only wonder what pains have brought you back to him.
“At first, it was San Francisco, then New York, Chicago, L.A… I never fit in anywhere. They’re all very lonely cities, you know?” Just for a second, your eyes become glossy. His heart feels a painful sting that only gets worse as you force a wide smile on your face. You’ve had practice in faking happiness, haven’t you? “But enough about me, it’s not that interesting,” you say in a casual tone. “Congratulations on your driving career. Seriously, you’re amazing. Would it be creepy if I admitted now that I’ve watched every single one of your races?”
“Not as creepy as admitting I’ve stalked your social media and never followed you because I thought you don’t remember me.”
“Are you dead serious right now?” Lando’s sheepish smile earns a loud laugh from you. “You should have tried anyway!”
“Funny that you’re the one to say that,” he retorts. “Why didn’t you message me if you’re such a big fan?”
Flustered, you look away for a moment. “Honestly, I thought it would be weird,” you confess. “I was sure you’d forgotten all about me and pulling this ‘we were childhood friends’ schtick now that you’re famous would be so embarrassing. You’re this top-of-the-top racing driver and I’m, well, me.” A bitter chuckle comes after your words but the faux amusement isn’t enough to fool Lando.
“You’re staying for long in Monaco?” His question is accompanied by a light gesture towards the box in your arms.
“As long as they don’t fire me, I guess.” That strange, sad laughter again. “Listen, you look like you have somewhere to be and I’ve already taken up too much of your time. You could come by in the evening, catch up if you want?” Your tone rises, revealing uncertainty about whether the invitation is welcome.
But to him, the answer is obvious. “I’d love that.”
You give him one last smile, then disappear behind the door to your apartment.
In some sense, he has you back. Not the girl he remembers, no. Something innate seems to be gone from your soul but Lando lacks the words to name the change. The sights, the loves, the pains – whatever it was that took your life on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, it sprouted melancholy in the very marrows of your bones.
“What happened to you?” he whispers to himself.
The only answer that comes is muffled footsteps and the shuffling of cardboard boxes.
Check out other fics in the Ampersand Themed Works
SUMMARY: When he can't sleep, Oscar ponders the could-have-been. You're happier now, aren't you? That's what all your friends say. Now that you're away from the limelight of being a "WAG", you have exactly what you wanted. Still, he can't help but think about the things we lose too soon.
WC: 792
Oscar can’t sleep.
It’s not that he’s not tired, quite the contrary – he’s been craving the soft hotel bedsheets ever since he stepped out of the car after today’s practice. But slumber is like a capricious lover and rarely comes when called.
How funny it is, to speak of lovers at a time like this. It’s the same kind of humour that earns a bitter chuckle when you see your late relative's favourite flower or eat a snack that was once loved by a friend you no longer talk to.
Despite the melancholic droll, Oscar isn’t keen to laugh. Not even a sad giggle will brush past his lips. He’s haunted by a ghost that never truly leaves.
Instead, he finds himself scrolling through a conversation. It’s been on his mind ever since he had it a few days ago. Curiosity and heartache had gotten the better of him, so Oscar messaged one of your friends a very simple and yet fateful question: How is she? The answer he got was entirely expected but still, it hurt in the most profound, inexplicable way.
Your friend gave him a short, straightforward answer. As much as Oscar knew that she had no reason to lie to him, the text was only that – some words. Later on, however, she sent him a few videos from a recent party the two of you went to. It was then that the reality set in for him:
There you were, even more lovely than the day he met you. Laughing, yelling something, dancing like you’ve never known anything else. All of that, all of you, is painfully familiar to his heart and yet the person in the video is vastly different from the girl whose heart he had broken. Your style has changed, your hair isn’t the same, the music you’re so eagerly singing along to is not the one you’d play in the car. At first, he thinks it strange, perhaps you’re trying to distract yourself from your own pain? But as time goes by and the scraps of you Oscar sees present this new you, he realizes what it truly means: you’re happier.
It should make him feel good, relieved, shouldn’t it? This is what you’ve wanted, is it not? Living in the limelight, suffering public opinions, being nothing more but “Oscar Piastri’s girlfriend” made you miserable. Now that it’s over, he should be glad you’re finally thriving. And yet, he’s far from it.
“Why?” he whispers into the night. “Why couldn’t it be both?”
Maybe one day he will get the answers he seeks. Maybe one day Oscar will finally know why he had to lose you too soon; why it is that we must let go of the ones we love.
He remembers all the instances when he asked why you were upset. When it wasn’t online hate, it was something else caused solely by the fact that you’re his lover. Now, he wonders if someone ever asks why you’re so happy all the time. Would you tell them the truth? Does anybody ever wonder why the heartbroken girl has blossomed into a walking ray of sunshine?
Oscar definitely does. Although, he does know the answer. What he’s curious about, however, is how much he didn’t do. What if he handled it differently? What if he was more brash and made it clear for the world to leave you be? How much of this is caused by him and him only?
For a moment, he considered texting you. The rather aloof messages of you congratulating him for his endeavours only egg Oscar on. What right does he have to come back into your life and mess it up again? But then, is it not a lover’s right to hopelessly seek the other half of their heart?
He lets out a ragged breath. With what’s left of his reason and composure, Oscar tosses his phone on top of the clothes neatly folded inside his suitcase.
Desperate to free himself from the ghost of loves past, he turns in bed to now face the large window. The world outside is calm, unlike him. Once in a while, a car drives by. The moon like a silver coin lights up the otherwise empty sky. Oscar knows that feeling all too well. What’s the point of being the brightest when there’s no one to share the light with?
He closes his eyes, hoping to find sleep before the memories of you find him first.
Sometimes, when he’s awake at night, he thinks about it – the story of you and how he has no place in it if that story is to have a happy ending. And Oscar does not have the heart to ruin his most beloved tale.
Check out other fics in the Ampersand Themed Works
Synopsis: When insecurity clouds your mind again, Lewis is there to remind you that your self-doubt is an unreliable narrator.
WC: 622
As the cliché goes, “History repeats itself”.
Once again, you find yourself listening to the searing criticism of your own thoughts. The louder the voices scream at you to finally accept the embarrassment of your existence, the more you believe them. Perhaps you’re looking in the mirror for the first time in a long while; perhaps it’s your first time seeing how other people will always be bigger, bolder and braver than you could ever be. And what is there to do about such a fact except acceptance? You cannot wish yourself into being born someone else.
Your face feels hot from the tears. This pain in your chest… is it grief or relief at this epiphany? Tears blur your vision, making the world seem like a reflection in a dirty, broken mirror. It’s quite fitting actually - your world must be a broken mirror, cursing you with misfortune for seven lifetimes instead of seven years.
Maybe those of your kind do not deserve anything better.
His voice rips through the nagging in your brain; a snowdrop in February:
“What’s going on?”
A pleasantly warm hand, gentler than need be, wipes the tears running down your cheeks. The gesture is delicate, almost fearful. How naive of him to believe that tenderness befits you.
“Talk to me, please.”
But the answer is stuck in your throat. It comes out as a choked, desperate sob. Even with the most flowery language, people like him can never relate to seven lifetimes of misery. Could you make a soaring eagle understand that ants are stuck to the ground?
Seemingly, he doesn’t need your response. His arms engulf you in a tight hold; a fortress of solace. You can feel his warm breath against your neck. It comes and goes with inhales and exhales like the rolling waves of a calm sea.
And you let the tidal water wash over you.
Soon, the tears stop falling. Your hands don’t shake anymore. The painful truth of what you are still resounds in your head but it’s not as loud as before. Now, you can hear the world beyond it: the cars outside, the soft electrical hum of the fridge, the laboured breathing of a worried dog.
As words come back to you, Lewis is finally able to hear your answer to his question. Despite knowing what horrors you will tell him about, he still takes a walk with you through your mind. Not once does he interrupt you to share his opinion. He patiently listens to you, even though he’s heard every one of those stories before.
Then, a moment of silence. Lewis keeps staring at you but you avoid his gaze. You know that look in his eyes a little too well: a mixture of sadness, frustration and anger.
Soaring eagles could never understand that ants are stuck to the ground.
Those warm, gentle hands hold your face once more. He forces you to look at him, to truly see the man in front of you and how he’s bursting at the seams with adoration.
“That little voice in your head that’s beating you down?” he asks.”Don’t listen to it, ever.” Lewis’s tone is stern - it’s not a request but a demand. “It’s an unreliable narrator.”
For a moment, those ravenous, sinister thoughts try to fight this notion. Hard as they can gnaw at your spirit, they continue to grow silenced. Wouldn’t the soaring eagle have a bigger perspective than the ant? When your mind is quiet once more, you finally realise that the truth of what you are lies within this moment, in the comfortable, joyous life with your lover.
In life, as it is with stories, you should never lay your trust in a narrator.
Check out other fics in the Ampersand Themed Works
SUMMARY: Where Oscar is dating a musician known for strictness and harsh comments on survival shows. To everyone's surprise, the unlikely pair is nothing short of perfect.
yntheone made a new post:
Close your eyes, take my time
Let's remember this moment
Photograph (prod. Offonoff) is out on Thursday
Comments:
user1: WHATTT
user2: this is not a drill I repeat this is not a drill
user3: girl you can't just drop this on us and bail 💀
user4: is this real or is this my ambien
user5: i see the saga of blurry pictures continues
↳ user6: it's a vibe, you hater 😤
user7: omg is this the song realoffonoff played on his live the other day??
user8: who is this and why is it not me 😩
user9: she destroyed everyone on Don Mills Daebak remix just to turn around and do cute rnb songs 😭 queen shit 👑👑
oscarpiastri: can't wait ❤️
liked by yntheone
↳ yntheone: ❤️❤️
↳ user10: the last person I expected to see here
↳ user11: 🤨🤨 well that's suspicious
user12: You need to do an entire album with realoffonoff !! Cigarette was amazing 😍
↳ user13: oh my godddd do you think cigarette was about the same guy?
↳ user14: definitely ?? i mean how can you listen to yntheone sing she wants you to be addicted to her like cigarettes and go "nah I'll pass" ?? brain damage ahh behaviour
yntheone tagged oscarpiastri in a post:
Do you really think you're that good??
(He is.)
Comments:
user15: babe wake up new roman empire just dropped
user16: not the caption 💀💀 quoting herself like the queen she is
↳ user17: giving trainees war flashbacks lmao
user18: he better know how to fight 😤😤 im throwing hands
user19: this can't be the same person who tore apart trainees on live tv 😐 since when is she all lovey dovey
↳ user20: if you had Oscar Piastri smiling at you, you'd be lovey dovey too
user21: out of all the people I suspected to be the guy from a blurry picture, this man wasn't even on the list ??? there's opposites and then there's THIS
↳ user22: ya I'm genuinely surprised someone as calm as him can keep up with her
↳ user23: yall are forgetting he's keeping up with Lando Norris
oscarpiastri: I really am
liked by yntheone
landonorris: he's not as good as me but I guess he's still kind of ok
↳ danielricciardo: you might want to rethink that mate
↳ landonorris: blocked
user24: I'll just assume every love song she's done has been about him
↳ user25: Cigarette?? Moon?? Photograph?? Make the Move?? He better know the poetry that she's written about him or he gon catch these hands
↳ oscarpiastri: I do know and I appreciate every word
user25: finally Mclaren found someone who can actually pull off the papaya and not look silly
user26: yntheone is taken?? worst day of my life tbh
user27: imagine all the contestants on survival shows that will come in mclaren merch 💀💀 we're about to unlock a new level of embarrassment that shouldn't be possible
user28: this is the best golden retriever black cat couple, everyone else can go home
user29: for his own sake, I hope he knows what he's gotten himself into 😩😩
↳ user30: no better racing motivation than remembering your girlfriend is famous for roasting people in front of the entire nation
f1fans_official made a new post:
oscarpiastri and yntheone on their little New York trip 🥺🥺
Comments:
user31: yes I watch f1 for the rivalry and driving
↳ user32: these two are the main plot
user33: am I the only one bothered by the fact that she's a rude bitch??
↳ user34: yes sis you're the only one who can't tell between a rude bitch and a professional realistically evaluating wanna-be artists
user35: no thoughts head empty thinking about my favourite paddock couple
user36: i can't even be mad she's taken my man 😞😞 they look cute together
user37: hope they don't break up I can't take going through my parents' divorce twice
user38: if Lando and yntheone become friends we're going to see the most iconic duo of all time
↳ user39: the Lando slander is about to get serious 💀
↳ user40: Oscar is gonna be bald by the end of the year because of them lmao
oscarpiastri tagged yntheone in a post:
Resting and recharging before the next race weekend
Comments:
user41: it's giving he asked for no pickles
yntheone: no need to thank me, I know I'm the only thing you need 😴
liked by oscarpiastri
↳ oscarpiastri: wouldn't have it any other way ❤️
user42: forget guard dog boyfriend, Oscar's got a guard dog girlfriend and I'm here for it
↳ user44: feminism
landonorris: guys help me she's scary
↳ yntheone: I know where you live 🥰🥰
↳ oscarpiastri: yntheone I'll hold your bag baby
↳ user43: forget the office this is the sitcom i'd watch
↳ georgerussell63: the bigger the distance from angry yntheone the funnier it is
user45: honestly why would he go for a manly rude bitch?? there are so many better women out there, just sad
↳ user46: have you considered the fact that men are not a monolith and have, in fact, individual preferences? or is your IQ too low to comprehend that?
user47: I will tell my children this is the royal pair
user48: can't wait for her the sample Oscar and add him to a beat 🔥🔥
user49: ok now I get why she wrote absolute bangers about him 😍
user50: if she's in the stands cheering him on, FIA should give Oscar a penalty for unfair advantage 😤😤
f1 driver x reader, except the reader is a vigilante/superhero and the public is starting to catch on when the internet's beloved hero seems to show up at the same place and time as f1 grand prix
additionally, reader's driver boyfriend seems to be a huuuuge fan of the said hero/vigilante
does the rest of the grid know? do they help reader protect their secret identity?
(idk where I'm going with this, I should be writing a class report and doing makeup for a photo shoot with friends)
Worlds Collide - Lando Norris x neuropsychologist!Reader
SUMMARY: You're a fresh neuropsychologist who is internet-famous for making entertaining and educational videos about anything psychology-related. Lando and you meet for the first time when the two of you are invited to do an episode on a podcast where people from very different professions sit down together and talk about their lives. Considering the instant chemistry, the fans aren't exactly surprised when the dating rumours emerge...
worldscollide_pod tagged landonorris and yn_thebrainiac in a post:
What do a neuropsychologist and a Formula 1 driver have in common? 🧠🏎️ We don't know either! So we invited landonorris and yn_thebrainiac to tell us about their lives.
Listen to Worlds Collide wherever you get your podcasts or watch the episode on our YouTube channel. You can suggest and vote on show guests on our Patron page.
Comments:
user1: i'd say they have brain injury in common??
user2: not the crossover episode we wanted but the one we needed
user3: he's driving fast, she's a failed med student, what's interesting about that?
↳ user4: omg please be a joke 😭 or a ragebait
↳ user5: user3 do you realize how much time and effort it takes to be either a f1 driver or a neuropsychologist?
↳ user5: high school dropout ass comment
landonorris: can't wait!
↳ yn_thebrainiac: looking forward to meeting you ❤️
liked by landonorris
user6: he called a rectangle a circle and she uses Latin names for brain parts like it's common knowledge. Truly a collision of worlds lmao
user7: these two in one room?? feels like a fever dream
↳ user8: more like a new Barbie movie
worldscollide_pod tagged landonorris and yn_thebrainiac in a post:
This week on Worlds Collide we have learned that a pit stop is kinda like a therapy appointment, helmets are humanity's best invention and waffles are to your brain what fuel is to a car.
Huge thanks to landonorris and yn_thebrainiac for giving us insight into their exceptional careers as well as two hours of good laughs!
Listen to Worlds Collide wherever you get your podcasts or watch the episode on our YouTube channel. You can suggest and vote on show guests on our Patron page.
Comments:
user9: yn_thebrainiac is the only person to get excited over brain injuries
↳ user10: and landonorris is the only person to make heart eyes while someone is talking about brain injuries
user11: when yn_thebrainiac was explaining her job and said to Lando he should hope he never has to be examined by her he looked so defeated 😭😭 truly a wet cat
↳ user12: and the "I guess I won't wear a helmet anymore"?? bro is down bad from the start
yn_thebrainiac: thank you for the opportunity! landonorris it was great meeting you ❤️ hope to see you again soon
liked by landonorris and worldscollide_pod
↳ landonorris: just let me know when and where 🏃♂️🏃♂️
user13: landonorris is that guy who suddenly becomes a comedian whenever a pretty girl is around
↳ user14: but it DID work on yn_thebrainiac 😭😭😭
user15: not yn_thebrainiac answering questions like it's a presidential debate and Lando going idk man I just drive
user16: Lando asking the hosts to repeat the question because he was too focused on yn_thebrainiac? man's not beating the simp allegations anytime soon
user17: that whole episode felt more like a date than a talk show
liked by worldscollide_pod
↳ worldscollide_pod: were we more wingmen or a third wheel?
user18: the way both of them were invested in each other's stories made me realize how utterly single I am
↳ user19: when yn_thebrainiac said it's a force of habit to ask how something made him feel and then Lando casually asking her the same thing??? delete Tinder, no dating app will get you a man like this
user20: can I just say how surprised I am with Lando's thoughtfulness? Like when yn_thebrainiac said she's scared to drive after examining an accident victim and he immediately offered to be her driver?
↳ user21: considering the tales of Lando's driving, it will only traumatise her further lol
user22: Lando telling her to continue because he wants to hear the rest of the story when she apologized for getting sidetracked??? 🥺🥺 mom, I want this one!!!!!
user23: they just met and they have more chemistry than some couples who have been married for decades
↳ user24: if Lando was staring at me the way he's staring at yn_thebrainiac I'd be radioactive 📛☢️
↳ user25: no but really girlies if he doesn't look at you the way Lando's looking at her, he's not the one 🏃♀️➡️❌
user26: now I kinda want yn_thebrainiac to take up Lando on his offer to test his cognitive skills
↳ user27: if they're in the same room he's going to fail every attention task
user28: Lando's dolphin ass giggle would make you think yn_thebrainiac is the funniest person on Earth
↳ user29: he's just a girl 🎀🎀
user30: I became a fan the moment yn_thebrainiac said "imagine your head is a hairy watermelon with a ball of jello inside"
↳ user31: as a med student I can tell you that it's pretty accurate
gossipgirl_f1 just posted a picture:
🚨🚨🚨McLaren's most eligible bachelor landonorris not eligible anymore? 🚨🚨🚨The driver has been spotted in Japan getting comfortable with an unnamed girl.
user32: didn't yn_thebrainiac post she's there too?
↳ user33: oh god please let it be real
↳ user34: it's definitely her
user35: people out there living my dreams 🥲
user36: why do yall even care?? he's a grown ass man, grow tf up
↳ user37: and yet here you are commenting 😴😴 like what are YOU doing at the devils sacrament?
user38: where's the FBI when you need them we have to knowww
↳ user39: that's yn_thebrainiac she had the exact same outfit in the story she posted earlier
user40: come look girl user41 someones stealing your man
↳ user41: aw hell naw she better know how to fight
↳ user42: wow the delulu is strong with this one
user43: look what yall did worldscollide_pod
liked by worldscollide_pod
↳ user43: i guess that's a confirmation huh
landonorris tagged yn_thebrainiac in a post:
Japan treated us nice but she treats me nicer 🌸🇯🇵
Comments:
user44: so they met and fell in love because they were randomly invited to do a random episode of a random podcast? and people still say God ain't real smdh
↳ user45: they better not forget to invite worldscollide_pod to their wedding
user46: guess he'll fuck anyone, when's my turn?
↳ user47: probably never, considering you're no one rather than anyone💁♀️💁♀️
oscarpiastri: yes, they are as annoyingly in love as they look
↳ landonorris: woww and here I thought we were best friends
↳ landonorris: so rude
↳ oscarpiastri: I have group chat screenshots
↳ landonorris: you're my bestest friend Oscar and you're too nice to ever do this to me 🥰
↳ maxverstappen1: we all have screenshots
↳ georgerussell63: you're cooked mate
↳ landonorris: 🥲🥲
user48: I would sacrifice my firstborn for this 😭😭
user49: I'm not sure who I am more jealous of
↳ user50: both
user51: they look so good together wtf
user52: worldscollide_pod you guys need to fix your post, what neuropsychologist and a f1 driver have in common is a marriage certificate
user53: ok real question how did he pull her??
↳ user54: he's a millionaire he doesn't have to do anything lol women's ideal type is a loaded wallet
↳ user55: bold of you to assume someone like her needs a walking piggy bank
yn_thebrainiac tagged landonorris in a post:
Hey, did you know that it was a Japanese scholar, Hiroshi Kojima, who popularized phenomenological ontology? He proposed that the dichotomy of individuality vs consciousness could be solved by treating the body as a half-way point between those two concepts. In essence, Kojima suggested considering the body as being seen both from the inside and the outside, now focusing on the intersubjective encounters as part of what constitutes the human being in the context of ontology.
Ps. He promised to wear his helmet! 🌼💖
Comments:
user56: she's everything, he's just Ken😌💅liked by landonorris
↳ georgerussell63: facts
user57: I bet the pillow talk is baffling
↳ landonorris: nah she's too tired for that
↳ user58: 💀💀 bro you didn't have to do her like that
user59: if he breaks your heart I promise to shake his head real hard, repeatedly 🥰🥰
user60: 😬😬 do they not make them pretty anymore?
↳ user61: fr she doesn't deserve him 😐 sad
↳ user62: this relationship feels like a social experiment like what do you mean he chose HER???? Lando Norris settling for a 2/10 is not the news I wanted to read today
↳ user63: wow no wonder yall dads left 😭 she's a normal looking woman, did porn rot your peanut brains completely? go outside and interact with regular, non-photoshopped people and then come back
user64: they have nothing in common and yet they fit perfectly how?? i feel like I'm having a strokee
user65: diagnostic process videos bout to get lit now that there's a volunteer to draw clocks and memorize strings of random words
user66: why do they look like a disney movie couple
↳ maxverstappen1: he may or may not have called her princess on more than one occasion
↳ landonorris: you guys promised 🥲
↳ oscarpiastri: no, we promised not to post the screenshots
↳ yn_thebrainiac: you mean the screenshots georgerussell63 just sent me?
↳ landonorris: good talk everyone I'll just go die of embarrassment if you don't mind
↳ yn_thebrainiac: I thought the things you said about me were kind of cute
↳ landonorris: nvm I'm back to life
I was in your music video - f1 drivers x singer!reader
SUMMARY: They say that if a poet loves you, they will write you into immortality. But if you date a musician, they might write you into the Billboard 100. Which is exactly what happens to your driver boyfriend.
Featuring: Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz Jr, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell
Note: Yes, two songs are sung by male artists. Yes, I'm going to ignore that fact and you should, too.
Lewis Hamilton
He's been in the room maybe five times. The space always felt strangely sacred to him - this is where you write, compose and practice songs with your band; this is where the magic, so to speak, happens. Walls are absolutely covered with tour posters, polaroids and printed-out articles. There's a large mirror that seems to be a message board considering all the sticky notes and words written with a marker. The only somewhat de-cluttered space is surrounding the setup. It's an unspoken testament to being a musician in a band.
There's a certain tension inside the driver. You've never asked him to listen to a song before it's finished. Sure, he has listened through your albums before they were officially released but it was always just that - a recording, not a live version. So what's different this time? Why is it vital he hears this song early?
Walking through the room, Lewis has to carefully watch where he's going. He doesn't want to accidentally break something by stepping on a cable or kicking a box with unknown contents. Inside a garage, he knows what not to touch but a recording studio and instruments are pretty much an unknown world to him.
Lewis is standing around a tad awkwardly, hands in pockets, when the bassist pushes a big black box closer to the driver.
"Have a seat." The musician points to the chest.
Lewis frowns. "On the box?" he asks, unsure. "Is that okay?"
"It's the Lucky Chest, Hamilton," the bassist announces. The other band members snicker at the title. "You have to sit on it."
"What's lucky about it?" Lewis inquires. More than the seating choice, he's interested in the reason for laughter.
"The first time we played at a big festival," the guitarist begins, her story slightly interrupted by her tuning the guitar, "we were sitting on it and listening to Green Day's stage, wondering 'how the fuck are we supposed to play after them?'."
"We were doing like a punk-rock tribute thing," adds the drummer. He's adjusting his seat and judging by the constant up-and-down movement, he can't make up his mind. The process is finally over when he reaches to tap the high-hat and nods to himself, content.
"After we finished our set," you take over retelling the story, "Billy Joe Armstrong came up to us and said we did great."
"So now it's the Lucky Chest," concludes the bassist.
Perhaps it's another testament to being a musician in a band when multiple people together tell one story without cutting details or creating chaos. A true harmony, though a joke a little on the nose.
"Well, I'm honoured," Lewis says. An airy giggle escapes him as he's still thinking about how easily teamwork comes to you and your band.
"You should be." The guitarist points her finger at him in a joking but accusatory way. Then she looks over her shoulder. "Whenever you're ready, drummer boy."
Music fills the room and Lewis is instantly captivated by you. He noticed it the first time he saw you on stage, how something inside you changes the moment you hear the instruments playing. Intensity, fire - passion in its most primal form. But this time around, the look in your eyes is different. You're no longer looking at the audience but him specifically; instead of singing a song, you seem to be telling him something.
So he listens.
I'm a desert, you're an ocean
It's your motion that I need
Without you I am broken, left to thirst out in the heat
And how strange he suddenly feels: all of the sentiments he already knows but now that you've put them into words for the whole world to hear, he can't help but find some revelation in them. For a moment, there's only the two of you and your confession of desire. Every word resonates with him and Lewis feels like he could say all of those things about you, too.
The song is far from over but he has already decided - he will listen to it before every race.
Lando Norris
Nothing seemed different about that day.
Lando is streaming while you're still at the studio. In an hour or so, you will come back, he will end the stream and the two of you will sit down to eat something. You will talk about your day, he will say something silly and both of you will laugh. Just like you always did.
To his credit, Lando couldn't have known about the song because you never told him. Some part of you thought it would be a bit dramatic to announce that you've written a song about him but can't play it yet because it's not finished. It would spoil the fun, wouldn't it? Therefore, you decided to tell Lando only after he listened to the final product. Perhaps you also wanted to seem a lot more nonchalant about the whole thing, planning on giving him just an off-hand comment of "oh, by the way, this one's about you". Life, however, rarely turns out the way we plan and that's exactly what happened that night.
If it was just one or two people calling Lando "honeybee" on the stream, he probably wouldn't even notice. But even he will pay attention when the comments are going on hundreds if not thousands.
He can't help but grow flustered at the pet name born out of his visceral fear of insects.
"Who told you that?!" he yells in a comically angry tone, a poor attempt at hiding embarrassment.
The comments come flooding again, explaining the situation only in variations of your name and the title Espresso. And like a detective following a crime, Lando immediately searches the internet.
"I feel lied to," he speaks up. "She didn't tell me she has a new song coming out. Why am I the last one to know? When I literally live with her? This is so unfair, I'm obviously the biggest fan, I should know first!"
Lando plays the music video. From the first line of "he's thinking about me every night", his bashfulness only gets worse. What starts as an excited smile, grows into a flustered, giggly mess. Although his pride is on the line, he can't deny any of the claims you make in the song. Yes, he couldn't sleep one night thinking about you and texted you about that. Yes, he does call you often even though he hates making phone calls. And yes, Lando Norris is, in fact, wrapped around your finger. What a horse is everyone can see and similarly, everyone can see and define who Lando is when it comes to his girlfriend:
"Simp?" he reads one of the comments. "Look, maybe I am but at the end of the day I'm dating her and you're not so who's the real loser here?"
Lando can only laugh his heart out when the chat gets flooded with identical comments: You.
"Okay, I admit. I'm down bad for my girlfriend and I'm proud of that."
Tomorrow's headlines are bound to be interesting...
Oscar Piastri
Although Oscar has seen you in musicals countless times, this situation feels a lot weirder and more uncomfortable. When he comes to watch your show, he's in the audience and you're on the stage. Now you're sitting side by side on the couch in your shared apartment, about to see your first movie. You're both the audience and the creator, which leaves you unsure how to act.
Unfortunately, your discomfort only grows. Oscar seems to be enjoying the movie but joy is not granted to you on this day. With each minute, you know your big part is coming. Oh God, what is he going to think?
Then, you suddenly pause the film. Oscar looks at you confused.
"There's something you need to know before you watch this scene and listen to the song," you say before he can ask you about your strange actions.
Oscar's frown only deepens. "You're making it sound really serious."
"Because it is. The thing is... " you hang your voice, unsure how to put words together. How do you tell someone this without making things awkward? "This is more embarrassing than I thought it would be but the song you're about to hear, I wrote it thinking about you."
He's trying to smile but the shadow of embarrassment on his face doesn't go unnoticed. You can only hope it's good kind of nervous.
The movie is resumed. As your discomfort is barely tolerable, you're looking away from the TV, fidgeting ever-so-slightly. Once or twice, you glance at Oscar, trying to see his reaction. The problem is, he's sitting unbelievably still. True, Oscar Piastri tends to be on the calmer side but right now it feels off. As if lost deep in thought, he appears to be diligently contemplating the scene in the movie; picking apart the words that came to your mind while thinking about him.
When the song comes to an end, you pause the film once more. A tense silence falls between you and Oscar, both longing to say something and yet neither willing to.
"So?" you begin hesitantly. "What do you think?"
Oscar shifts awkwardly. "Erm... I don't really know what to say."
A nervous giggle escapes your lips. "It's really sappy, I know." You try to downplay the situation, fearing that his reaction is born out of something negative. Does he think you're clingy? Obsessive? Too dramatic to handle?
"It's not that," he quickly denies. "Well, okay, it is kind of sappy but it's good sappy?" Oscar's tone raises slightly, revealing that he's unsure whether it's the right choice of words.
"Good sappy?" you repeat.
It feels as though woe has weaved a nest inside your viscera. "Good sappy" sounds like a lovely, diplomatic euphemism used not to hurt someone's feelings.
"Yeah, it's just..." Oscar doesn't finish his sentence. He runs his hand through his hair, then rubs the back of his neck nervously. Finally, he looks at you but not in a way you're familiar with. There's something ethereal in his gaze, a glint of inexplicable emotion that would escape a less observant eye. "It's really beautiful," he says. "The fact that you feel this way about me?" You could swear there are tears in his eyes as he lets out a flustered giggle. "I can die happy now."
Carlos Sainz
As old tradition entails, the Thursdays before a race weekend are meant for golfing. And who is Carlos Sainz to not give in to the custom?
He's sitting in his car, impatiently ploughing through the traffic of the city centre. Why are people out and about at this time, anyway? Shouldn't they be at work? Wanting to get his mind off of the fact that he's going to be quite late to the game, Carlos turns on the radio. The man is mindlessly skipping through the stations until something catches his attention - the announcer introduces you as today's guest.
"Hello again, pretty girl," Carlos says to himself. A small smile enters his face.
"First of all, I'd like to thank you," the radio host begins. "Unfinished Business is just the album I've been waiting for this year. And not only me! Have you seen Billboard 100 lately?"
Your flustered giggle is just as adorable as always. "Yesterday evening, I think?"
The broadcaster sighs dramatically. "Then you have ancient news. I have the site pulled up now and check it every few minutes. Let me tell you, Unfinished Business has climbed twenty spots since morning."
"Oh, shoot."
"Indeed." The announcer laughs and Carlos does with him. It's such a familiar theme for the driver - you being more humble than you really should be, surprised by the success you entirely deserve.
"Now, to address the elephant in the room or rather on the music charts. Over and Over Again is like a love letter all of us have written but never sent. Tell me all about it!"
"I guess 'love letter' is a pretty good description," you explain. Curious, Carlos turns up the volume. "For some time, I was trying to put my thoughts together and tell someone how I felt but never could quite do it. I can write good songs but in real life, I'm pretty terrible at speaking my mind and talking about feelings. I just don't want people to misunderstand, you know?"
"What are you saying, hermosa?" Carlos asks aloud, although there's no one to answer him.
"At least you can write a song about it! We regular folk are stuck with memes and playlists."
"Thank God, I can!" You laugh and, as embarrassing as it may sound, Carlos feels a sudden warmth spreading through his chest. "I was struggling with saying what I wanted to say to him, so at some point, I just decided I could put those words and feelings into a song. He likes to listen to the radio when he's driving so he might even be listening right now."
Although nothing bad or negative is going on, Carlos feels himself growing tense, nervous. There's no doubt the "he" you keep mentioning is him but what exactly is it you've been trying to tell him? Is there something he's missing?
"Did you tell him you've written a song about him?" the radio host asks.
"It might have slipped my mind," you answer coyly.
The announcer only laughs. "Oh dear, what a way to find out! Without further ado, let's hear your love letter to the mysterious man. I really hope he's listening to us right now. Don't you dare change the station, you lucky guy."
To his own surprise, Carlos recognizes the melody - you've been humming it for weeks now. But as you begin singing, the words leave him in disbelief. Do you really... mean all of that?
Carlos is lost in the song, feeling as though the lyrics aren't just lyrics but your genuine confession; a true love letter, as you have said yourself. He's brought back to reality only when the car behind him honks and Carlos is a hair's breadth away from picking a fight with the other driver. Nothing requires more haste or attention than his girlfriend exclaiming to the whole world that he will always be the one for her and that she will love him over and over again.
Charles Leclerc
You don't hear Charles coming in - you're too lost in your own thing to remember there's an entire world outside of the song and the piano in front of you. On the other hand, Charles doesn't announce his arrival as he doesn't want to disturb you. To be perfectly honest, he's a little too curious to interrupt you. It happens very rarely that you practise outside of the studio and so Charles doesn't really get to hear your more casual singing, not an embellished performance for the audience.
As quietly as he can, he makes his way towards you. Charles casually leans against the doorframe, your back turned to him as you continue playing the piano. He barely bites back the smile that creeps onto his face whenever you effortlessly sing the high notes - they are difficult for professionals and yet you execute them so cleanly, they appear almost too easy.
The lyrics haunt him but in a truly delicious way. A particular note of sincerity in your voice makes the words stick to him like rain does to a reckless passerby. Sure, they will slip away, although not before drenching him; their vital piece will forever lie with him.
When the song comes to an end, Charles (without thinking twice) gives you a hefty applause. The surprise makes you almost fall off the chair.
"Shit, you scared me!" you yell at him. It takes a couple deep breaths and your boyfriend's apologies, to collect yourself. "How much did you hear?"
He shrugs, suddenly realizing that he wasn't supposed to hear even one note of the song. "Pretty much all of it."
Your expression must not be joyful as Charles resumes his apologies and poor attempts at excuses. Suddenly, you cut him off. "How'd you like it?"
For a moment, he only hums and mindlessly knocks at the doorframe, looking for the right words.
"I loved it," he confesses. A strange tension in his voice proves he's telling the truth. "It's a beautiful song."
"Good," you answer absentmindedly. Quietly, you nod to yourself before looking back at Charles, a mischievous glint in your eyes. "It would really suck if you hated a song about yourself, you know?"
His eyes grow wide and Charles seems to forget about blinking for a good minute. Judging by the changes in his expression, you can tell the exact thought process he's experiencing: realizing you've written a song about him, joy caused by that, remembering the lyrics and finally taking them personally.
The more observant fans might notice a new addition to his helmet: "Claire de Lune" written in elegant lettering.
George Russell
Common sense might tell you that a race car driver must have no fear. And that would be correct, although quite imprecise. They must have no fear on track, yes, but daily life is quite different from racing, isn't it? Or maybe George is discovering a range of emotions he has not known before.
Your relationship is fresh but that isn't to say it's not serious. The weight of the connection the two of you share is a major part of the reason why George has been dead set on taking things slow. The other part is him knowing what media circus will play out once the news breaks. It's hard to blame him for wanting to keep at least some aspect of his life private, especially one that means so much to him.
As understanding as you are, George's apprehensiveness is tiring. You perfectly understand his reasoning and to some degree share the sentiment but at the same time, you are just somebody in love - you itch to scream it to the whole world. Or, at the very least, share a picture of the two of you. Both of you haven't been middle-schoolers for quite some time now, so why act like ones?
George, like the supportive boyfriend he is, loves to see you in your element. He watches the music videos, yet, but he much prefers the dance practice videos, where you're visibly enjoying each second of the choreography. Therefore, when you upload a new dance video for your song, he's probably the first person to play it.
It's a catchy tune that makes even the most boring people want to dance a little. With his head moving to the rhythm, George doesn't focus much on the lyrics until something in the second verse catches his attention:
So used to hiding
We built our kingdom around
The right timing
The lines, understandably, hit a little too close to home to be a pure coincidence. Now suspicious, George replays the video - this time, he's actually listening to the words instead of focusing on your dancing. Any hesitation that he's the true recipient of the song is gone with the first line of "Say you want me". The desperation in your voice is simply too candid to be just an act for the sake of the performance.
With the song loudly playing on a loop, George is scrolling through his phone's gallery in search of the best pictures of the two of you. He can't help but mouth the lyrics along with your singing, only to randomly giggle as the thought once again settles - it's about him.
Your phone can't stop vibrating. The notifications are coming nonstop. What on Earth happened? Upon opening Instagram, the mystery is solved. The internet seemed to be set on fire when George posted a series of pictures of the two of you with a caption that earned a giddy chuckle from you: "Setting us in motion".
Max Verstappen
Max and you both understand how much support can change. Sometimes just knowing that this other person is out there, watching and cheering, can change everything. As such, the two of you try to attend each other's events as much as you can. Unfortunately, the universe isn't always kind and you end up on the opposite ends of the world. The only support you can offer then is watching the live-streamed event - just like Max is doing right now.
He's sitting in his driver's room in Singapore, while you're at an award show in the USA. Quite the distance. There's something unbearably humbling about having to watch your performance like most of the world, when Max is, without a doubt, not most of the world.
In the back of his mind, Max is still thinking about the conversation he had with you earlier. Although he never misses your performances, you made it a point to tell him to watch this one. In your own words, he's supposed to look out for something fun, like a detail that will make this show different from the others. So as though he is a hawk, or more of a vulture, Max is hyperanalizing everything that's happening on the screen. He's not about to miss your little surprise.
The song begins and as much as he wants to enjoy watching you in your element, Max is a missile on a mission. Nothing specific seems to catch his eye but that t-shirt you're wearing...
Max knows it all too well. Theoretically, it's his t-shirt but considering you wear it more often than he does, it's practically yours. Now it's styled to fit the concept and image of your bandmates but the colour, the logo, the number, are all unmistakeable. Considering how much you're touching the article of clothing, compared to other dancers, he's convinced he's found what he was meant to look for.
Before he can wonder why you've chosen to wear his t-shirt for your performance, it's you who gives him the answer through the lyrics:
I feel like for the first time I am not faking
Fingers on my buttons and now you're playing
Master of anticipation, don't you keep it all to yourself
Max Verstappen doesn't get flustered but if he did, he'd be beyond flustered right now. The realization hits him like a derailed train - the song that everyone has been obsessed with through the summer and that has pretty obvious sexual lyrics is actually about him.
And if he did get flustered, the emotion would be rather short-lived, giving way to pride. After all, the core meaning of the song is that he's a generous lover, right? Clearly, he's been taking good care of his girlfriend.
Now, each sung line of "Just the touch of your love" makes Max all the more frustrated that the two of you are so far apart. He's earned his title of "Master of anticipation" and he intends to keep it.
SUMMARY: Your best friend's birthday is coming up. As such, a Surprise Party Committee is appointed: you, Lando and Oscar, your friend's boyfriend. Between balloons, cake and confetti, Lando's secret crush is revealed. Maybe even reciprocated...?
SUMMARY: When they know social norms and the local language, sometimes it might be hard to spot a foreigner. Even then, there are details to their daily life that might give away their heritage. Whether they're strange, funny or heartwarming, it doesn't really matter. Your boyfriend wouldn't have it any other way.
Featuring: Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo (it's my delulu I set the rules), Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri
Note: I'm a Polish gal, so the examples I've used are quite specific and probably not universal
Lando Norris
You're unsure if his terrible pronunciation is genuine or just a ploy to make you laugh. As time goes on, you're leaning towards the latter. The comedic timing of throwing out mispronounced random phrases and words is almost too perfect to be accidental. Considering the cultural differences, you have your quirks and superstitions that are largely funny and meaningless to him. Despite his lack of understanding, he adheres to them like the letter of the law (except speed limits, of course). While it might seem pointless to him that you have to knock on "something unpainted" after talking about misfortune, Lando will never make fun of you for it. He might laugh, yes, but he just finds those little rituals endearing. Secretly learns to say "I love you" in your first language but this time, he wants his pronunciation to be impeccable. He really means it, after all.
Lewis Hamilton
He's been showing genuine curiosity from the very beginning. While he wants to get to know you better as a person, he also wants to know more about your home. Consequently, Lewis jumps at any opportunity to travel with you to your native country. When you're pointing out different buildings as well as memories associated with them, he feels like he's getting a better understanding of who you are and why. Like Lando, he's mindful of the cultural quirks and sticks to them but doesn't find them as funny. While he's well aware you don't expect him to follow them, Lewis still refuses to kiss you over the threshold once you tell him it's said to bring bad luck. He's not going to risk it, is he?
Daniel Ricciardo
The ever-charming man is interested only in learning swear words and pick-up lines in your native language. Not very surprising. Even less surprising is the fact that you might have (on at least one occasion) taught him nonsense or a silly phrase while claiming it's something sexy or romantic. He is yet to be corrected that a certain phrase is not a heartfelt confession but a simple question of "Where is my sauerkraut?". There's something impossibly attractive about you speaking your mother tongue, according to Daniel. You could read aloud a random Wikipedia entry and he's down bad by the second verse.
Max Verstappen
Practical as always, Max has learnt to read your first language just to occasionally help. You're busy and someone is texting you? Maybe you forgot the next ingredient or step for the recipe but your hands are dirty? Max is there to help. Despite not much practice, his pronunciation is really good. He does, however, have a secret. All the random things he's been reading for you? They got him familiar with the language, at least the basics. Still, Max pretends that he doesn't understand 99% of what he's reading for you because he doesn't want to miss out on all the ego-stroking "Max is wonderful!!" messages you receive from friends and family. The king of keeping a straight face. He's so used to hearing you refer to him by pet names in another language that when he hears it in a movie you're watching, he instinctively looks towards you.
Carlos Sainz Jr
Similarly to Max, Carlos has picked up some of your mother tongue. Pretends he doesn't because he's living for the gossip you exchange with your friends. Most of all, he HAS to know what you're talking about after hearing you say his name. Are you happy with him? Does he fulfil your needs? Although each time you're gushing over him, he can't help his curiosity. Carlos might or might not have overheard you talking to your friends about a sexual fantasy and later on used that knowledge to his advantage. But if anyone asks, he doesn't know more than a "hello" in your first language.
Charles Leclerc
Like many multilingual people, you have a habit of directly translating sayings and idioms or just getting confused about which ones work in what language. Funnily enough, Charles unknowingly picked up some of the phrases you use. He realises only when someone gives him a strange look for saying "happy as a whistle". On another occasion he says somebody "stuck to him like thistle to a dog's tail", which sparked a landslide of memes. Charles insists on you calling him pet names in your first language exclusively. He claims they sound more loving when you say them in your mother tongue but maybe he's suffering from the same ailment as Daniel Ricciardo...
George Russell
As adorable as they are, George's random questions can get slightly annoying. He might be working you up on purpose, not that he'd ever admit. This man has a curious tendency to suddenly point to a random object and ask you what's it called in your native language. When you tell him, he exposes you to possibly the worst attempt at repeating the word. George is trying his best, okay? He might not be able to pronounce or write it but when you say it, he quickly learns to recognize the word. This has lead to seemingly strange situations when you can't remember the English expression and say it in your mother tongue, while George without a problem gives you the answer or passes you the item. Some of the other drivers are now convinced he knows your first language and George somehow can't find the right occasion to correct them. After secretly practising, he says "I love you" in your mother tongue and despite the rather awful pronunciation, it's the best thing you've ever heard. It's not flawless but it's perfect.
Oscar Piastri
Similarly to Lewis, he's genuinly curious about your homecountry. The difference is, Oscar is more leaning towards the literature and pop-culture side of things. He has a list of books, poems, movies and plays that are considered important to your homeland. If there are English translations, he'll at least try to read them (on a few occasions he's settled for the cheat sheets and summaries). Multiple times Oscar has talked you into reading the original to him and afterwards claimed that despite understanding nothing, that's his favourite version. Movies, however, he wants to watch with you. It's a cozy date, yes. But! It is also an opportunity to learn more as you have a tendency to pause the film and explain jokes, give broader context or share a fun fact about something on the screen. Through all of that, he learns certain unspoken social rules and superstitions. You tell him he really doesn't have to follow them for your sake when you notice he refuses to put your bag on the floor or switches seats with you if you sit at the corner of the table.
SUMMARY: One might think that after reaching the pinnacle of motorsport, there's not much to be jealous of. After all, don't you have the world in the palm of your hand? It turns out that even the best drivers can get a little jealous when it comes to the woman they love.
