MASTERLIST : PLAYING FOR KEEPS
LANDO NORRIS X OFC DAPHNE GIRARD
Daphne Girard was many things. A cat mom, a certifiable love island connoisseur, and kept a secret for most of her life.
Being the bastard sister of Max Verstappen was the least interesting of them all, if you asked her.
Any upcoming updates to Playing for Keeps? Would love for the story to continue
yes! the ao3 author curse is truly real since i've been dealing with some health concerns i'd thought were only minor recently (watched abu dhabi from a hospital bed, don't recommend.) but it's given me a lot of time to restructure PFK a bit mentally, and slowly build back up the energy to update.
the plan is (hopefully) a new chapter before christmas to get some things out, and then upload updates in multi-chapter chunks!
thank you very much for the message, it's always a lovely feeling to know people care about a story.
Truly contemplated putting Daphne into my new Oscar fic…but it would mean somewhere in the PFK universe Oscar and Lily broke up and that just can’t be the case.
Just know that daph and osc are besties in every universe even when I can’t make it work 💔
MASTERLIST : PLAYING FOR KEEPS
LANDO NORRIS X OFC DAPHNE GIRARD
Daphne Girard was many things. A cat mom, a certifiable love island connoisseur, and kept a secret for most of her life.
Being the bastard sister of Max Verstappen was the least interesting of them all, if you asked her.
Playing for Keeps - Lando Norris
pairing: Lando Norris x (OFC) Daphne Girard
Chapter Five: make em' sweat
Daphne Girard was many things. Being the bastard sister of Max Verstappen was the least interesting of them all, if you asked her.
content: a now not so semi-slow burn friend's little sister romance, with a hefty side of found family drama and real family angst.
chapter warnings: clubs, alcohol, mild sexual content
Chapter Five under the cut!
2021
LATE JULY.
“Is Logan Sargeant going to be a problem?”
Oscar looked up from his rather rapid texting, spotting Max frowning from his spot on the couch. Max was far from being a fan of the American driver, and his latest attempt with Daphne seemed to leave another tally in the negative.
“He shouldn’t be.” Oscar sighed, tucking his phone back into his pocket. He’d only just convinced Logan to meet them at the club versus meeting up for a pregame, no easy way to explain away why Daphne lived with her apparent boss. “He just knows she and Rafa aren’t together right now so his hopes are high. Even though I’ve warned him off. Multiple times.”
“Ah, Daphne. My little heartbreaker,” Charles mused from where he lounged across the large sectional sofa, his legs just brushing Max’s. “I have taught her well. Though she could do much better than a street racer,” He only just dodged the kick Max sent his way, giggling.
“You’ve taught her jack shit.” Max sulked, turning his attention back to Oscar. “Rafa and his suped-up Mazda can stay gone. Either way, don’t let her get away from you tonight, yes? I already hate that I can’t go. I feel like it would be fine…“
“Yes, because strobing lights and pounding music definitely blend well with a concussion, Maxie.” Daphne mused as she swanned in, heels clicking on the parquet floors. Lily followed at a much more sedate pace, tucking her phone into her handbag.
“It’s Jimmyz. We love Jimmyz.” Max sulked, eyeing her dress with distaste. “You need at least six more inches of clothing.”
“Okay, grandpa, sure. Charles, tell him I look stunning.”
“That shade of blue is her color, cherie. I cannot deny. We did much worse at her age in clubs; you are just sulking because your head means you cannot tag along.”
“She’s not that much younger! You are making me feel old. Which makes you just as fucking old, by the way.” Max muttered, eyes closing as he slid down the couch.
Charles rose, walking over to press two kisses to Daphne’s cheeks. “Have fun, sweet girl. Ignore your brother, and call us if you need anything, alright? I have an extensive evening planned ahead of us with dinner and limited screen time; he’ll be thrilled.”
Daphne grinned, leaning in to murmur low. “Thank you for staying with him. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going out if he were here alone.”
“There is nowhere I’d rather be, well, perhaps at a booth at Jimmyz, but even I am not foolish enough to brave their grand reopening weeks right now. We will make our way there the next time we have properly healed heads. But you three, go! Have fun! Kiss strangers, preferably not that blonde American!”
Oscar groaned from the doorway, shooting Charles a look as he shuffled the girls out the door. “Logan isn’t going to be a problem! I’ve got this. Have a nice night, guys.”
The door swung shut, their laughter echoing down the hallways. The sound warmed Max’s chest, even as Charles flung himself back onto the couch.
“Ah, the joys of youth. Now, how do you feel about a dramatic reading of Autosport? They did a detailed report on Lewis and his—”
“Get fucked, Charles.”
Logan Sargeant was going to be a problem.
Lando could see the way Tink tried to brush him off, his arm rising again to brush over her shoulders like a claim. A guy Lando recognized from Daphne’s instagram as Oscar looked like he was a second away from yanking him off.
But Daphne smiled, and Lando watched as she used the newest beat drop to bounce out of the hold and into her girlfriend’s arms as they bopped around.
She looked like a fucking fairy. Again. But some lethal one that he would have sold his soul to if she asked. Blue silk hugged her frame, the dress short and flouncy as she twirled. Blonde hair fell down her back in waves he wanted to run his fingers through, lips painted a deep red he wanted to wear like a brand.
She looked perfect. She looked so far out of his league that he was in the cheapest grandstand seats. The second she’d walked in, he’d clocked the shift, the way everything softened, slowed as she made the room her own. Fewtrell said he was drunk, Lando said Max was blind.
But if she was too good for him, she was certainly too fucking good for the American Prema driver currently eyeing her like a prize.
He’d done his own due diligence after their run-in where he drove her to the hospital. Hadn’t texted her since, but had found and followed her on instagram and maybe asked around to a few people too many for info.
Charles looked too smug, but at least he’d learned more about his Tink.
Daphne attended UAL and worked for Max, though when Lando asked what she studied Charles had shrugged and said she was on a computer often and didn’t seem to enjoy it much anymore. Which for online schooling…didn’t give him a ton. But he’d pressed the Monegasque for too much already.
His biggest piece of info had come from the fucking American himself, only an hour before now as he’d been leaning against the stall of the loo texting when Logan had crashed in, Oscar not far behind.
“All I’m saying is that she’s looking for a boyfriend! I could be that. Future F1 driver definitely outranks that garbage street racer she dated.”
“No, she’s not, and no, you can’t. She does boyfriends in the way you do Tinder. Frequently. I choose not to ask why, but her boyfriends don’t last long, Logan.”
“But—“
“And even if they did, you’re not fucking going there. She’d eat you alive.”
“I’d let her, happily.”
“Logan!” The laughter was followed by a thud, Logan groaning. “Fine, man! But you can’t blame me for trying. That girl is the whole package.”
Yeah, she fucking was. Just not one intended for Logan yeehaw Sargaent.
Lando exited before the other two spotted him, as his thoughts spun faster and faster aided by the drinks in his blood.
So she didn’t do boyfriends. Or did, but in rotation. Never seemed to last long. Charles had mentioned something similar, offhand. A street racer here, a London school boy model there. Almost like he was warning Lando that he’d be one of many.
Joke was on Charles, then.
He wouldn’t be her boyfriend, sure. Okay. That was fine, he wasn’t really made for that anymore. Clearly hadn’t done it well in recent years. But everything else?
He’d be whatever she needed, no label required.
Sargaent could stand there and talk, Lando had always been more an action guy anyways.
So he went to find his girl.
And fuck.
She smiled at the sight of him, and Lando felt like his heart stopped in his chest.
The bass was pounding, a small crowd of bodies bouncing on the floor to a mix he hated. He’d spotted her blonde hair glittering in the lowlight and was pulled toward it like a siren song. And just as he’d arrived before her, she’d spun around to the beat, spotted him, and fucking beamed.
“Norris!”
“Hey, tink.”
“You gonna dance with me?” She prompted, nothing short of a challenge in her eyes. He’d noted that most of the men in her group weren’t on the floor, nursing drinks and content to watch the girls have their fun. Missed opportunity there, in his opinion. He held out his hand, grinned something sharp when she grasped it, and used the moment to tug her closer.
“That’s the plan, gorgeous. Gonna do my best to keep up.”
She danced circles around him. Spinning and swaying in and out of his reach with each moment. He felt as if he was holding on for dear life. A bit desperate for a little control and to have her closer, he gripped her hand as she spun and tugged her in.
“This okay?” He leaned in, breath washing over her cheek. He felt the way she shivered and smirked, eyes dark as they met hers once more. She wasn't completely immune to his charms, then. At her nod, her arms came up around his neck as they moved closer and closer. Lights pulsed, and the song changed over and over, time lost to the sway of their bodies.
Until once again, America made himself known.
Lando spotted Logan making his way over, and spun Daphne a bit so she could see as well. She grimaced, and it was all the sign he needed to get them moving.
“Come with me, yeah?”
The hallway leading to the outdoor tables was far less crowded, Lando ducking them into another alcove for a moment of peace. The music still blared, but it echoed around them now, less all-consuming.
“Someone has themselves a fan, there.”
Daphne sighed, brushing her loose blonde strands away from her cheeks in irritation until Lando snagged a piece, curling it behind her ear. “He…means well.”
“He does not. He wants you, Tink. Heard him myself. Whatever friend zone you put him in isn’t working, I’d assume. And you've got about thirty seconds or less before he follows us back here.”
Her grimace of disbelief was cute. Like she couldn’t fathom why Logan would try so hard to win her over. And as if he’d manifested the fucker, Logan’s voice rang out down the hallway in search of her.
Blue eyes went wide with panic, flitting over his face for a few beats. Her hands rose, meeting his chest.
“Help me? Please? I know it’s stupid but I just—“
“Anything you want, Tink. Your move.”
As if his words lit a fire within her, she glanced between his eyes and lips for a millisecond before diving in. Her lips met his with force, and he groaned, his own hands reaching to tangle into her hair.
She kissed like fucking sin. Deep, hot, as if she could slide her way into the warmth of his chest, the longer he kissed her. Lando’s thoughts fizzled out, lost in the sensation of their mouths meeting again and again. His palms left her hair to grip her neck, keeping her close. He spun them so his own back pressed into the wall, letting her lean her weight into him.
Her nails grazed his chest, pulling another groan from his throat and causing the sweetest little whimper to spill from hers. He hardened against her thigh, not shying away from letting her feel what she did to him.
A choked off sound down the hall had him pulling back just a bit, and Daphne wasted no time to kiss down his neck as he made direct eye contact with Logan.
Lando let his eyes go heavy, lidded as he let all the lust he felt for her show on his face. Logan blanched, stuttering out an apology before he stumbled back out into the main room of the club.
“He’s gone," He panted, eyes shut as her lips stopped their descent.
Daphne melted against his chest, relief in her very bones. It lasted a second, before he saw the tension creeping back in. “God, I’m sorry. I basically just forced myself onto you—“
Fuck that.
Lando pulled her back in, kissing her the way he’d wanted to before. The way their first kiss should be. Soft, lingering. He kissed her over and over, tongue swiping over her lips and licking his way into her mouth until breath forced them apart, his lips smeared with red lipstick and hers properly smudged. Debauched.
“You did nothing I haven’t wanted, Tink. Would’ve liked to take you out first, but this works. You wanted it too, right? Or was I just conveniently placed?”
“Lando.” She admonished, lips quirking. Her cheeks were a flushed pink, from both the kiss and his words.
“Don't fish for compliments. I’m a big girl, and I kiss who I want. Good enough for you?”
“Good enough for me. You gonna let me take you out though?”
She paused, and a weight sank in his stomach. Had he truly fucked this whole thing?
“Lando, I’m uhm…not really looking for a boyfriend right now and, well…”
He kissed her again, unable to stop himself at the way her lips pouted when she was so clearly nervous. A press of lips once, twice.
“Not trying to be your boyfriend, Daphne. Not really, er, built for that, you could say. But I like you, a lot, and I think you like me. That can be enough, can’t it?”
He watched the expressions flicker across her face. God, she must be terrible at poker with the way he could practically read her every thought in those eyes, the set of her mouth. Determination won out, tinged with what looked almost like fondness.
“Yeah. Maybe it can be. Call me tomorrow, then?”
“Daphne?” Another male voice this time, and one that had Daphne grimacing in annoyance.
“Another fan of yours?”
“Worse, Oscar. Someone convinced him I needed to be kept close tonight, apparently. And now I, well fuck, I look a mess.”
Lando eyed her mussed hair, smeared glossy lips and the wrinkles in the hips of her dress and grinned wide. He’d proper ruined her, just a bit. “You look like sin, baby. But I’ll head him off, say I didn’t see anyone back here. Duck around behind that door and take the back hall to the loo. You’ll be fine.”
Daphne practically beamed, leaning back up to place a kiss to his jaw. “My hero. Thank you, Lando.”
“Anytime, and I mean that. Expect my call tomorrow. Just promise to pick up.”
Her laughter trailed back softly as she slipped away. Lando took the well needed moment to adjust himself, too fucking hard in his jeans to walk back without some fixing. Shirt collar straightened, a hand in his hair and he was together enough to head in the opposite direction.
“Hallways’ empty, mate.”
Oscar paused, glancing past him for a moment. Then his gaze zeroed in on just who was speaking to him, and he froze. “Oh, shit. Er, hello.”
“Hi. I don’t think we’ve met. Piastri, yeah?”
Lando watched Oscar reboot, seemingly amused that Lando knew who he was. He offered a hand, nodding. “Yeah, yeah. Oscar. Nice to meet you, Lando.”
The handshake was strong, a moment for Oscar to fully take Lando in. “Oh er, you’ve got something just, uh. Everywhere, really.”
Lando’s brow furrowed, Oscar’s free hand gesturing to his neck as he released him. Lando reached up and swiped his fingers against his skin to find red lipstick staining his digits. Well, fuck. She’d laid her claim, even unknowingly.
“Right. Got a little….distracted. Thanks for the warning, Osc.”
He slapped a hand on Oscar’s shoulder as he passed, chuckling as he heard the Aussie mumble out a confused “you’re welcome?”
Fewtrell was easy to find, still lounging in their booth nursing another drink. He took one look at Lando and barked out a laugh. “What bird made you her victim? You look proper mauled, mate.”
“A fucking angel, that's who. I think I found religion... Anyway, you ready to head out? I’ve had enough of Jimmyz.”
Max was quick to agree, bemused as he gestured once more to Lando. “Sure, I could slam a McDonald’s. You might want to go wash up, though, too many cell phones out front.”
“Nah.” His smirk felt permanent, etched into his skin at the thought of blonde hair and soft lips.
“Let em’ look.”
daphbydesign has uploaded a carousel!
⤴︎ 💿 Harry Styles - Only Angel
daphbydesign: red bull gave me wings 🩵
❤️ liked by lilyzneimer, oscarpiastri, logansargeant, max33verstappen, landonorris, and 2938 others.
max33verstappen: Welcome to the team! ❤️ by daphbydesign
⤷ daphbydesign: thanks boss !!!! #MVWDC
lilyzneimer: blue is YOUR color. Red too. 😏
⤷ daphbydesign: every color is my color, thank you very much xx
franzhermann: beauty, brains, AND talent!
⤷ daphbydesign: go AWAY you two!!
⤷ daphbydesign: love you sm xoxo
iMessage: Lils
Lily:
Anything we'd like to admit?
Daphne:
good morning to you too, my sunshine.
Lily:
Daphne
Lily:
Daphne:
what is that
Lily:
a snapchat story someone posted of Lando Norris. Who happened to be at the club last night and left with a neck covered in that.
Daphne:
I'm not seeing why I was awoken for this.
Lily:
nothing to admit? No YSL Rouge Provocation to wipe away?
Daphne:
a red lipstick mark does not implicate me at this heinous crime.
Lily:
Daphne Helene.
Daphne:
Max told Oscar to stalk me all night, be so fr.
Lily:
this is the story we're sticking to?
Daphne:
is it, yes.
Lily:
right. keep your secrets, it keeps Oscar sane.
Done a lot of writing, not a ton of editing. Grief has hit me really, really hard. Hoping to get the new chapters out before my trip in two weeks, though. Pushing through when I can.
PFK has some really fun chapters coming up (i've pre-written to allow for updates during my november vacation) and my new oscar fic is SO much fun to play around with!
Imagine a two-time WDC Oscar, confident, self-assured, knows what he wants. and WHO he wants happens to be the biggest popstar in the world :)
Playing for Keeps will be returning VERY soon, took a small mental health hiatus 🤍 may or may not also be releasing chapter one of a new fic very soon...
NOT LIKE YOU
WDC Oscar Piastri x Pop Princess
sneak peek under the cut because I am so ready!
"Look at me, sweetheart."
Her reluctant gaze met his, thrown by the fire in his own stare. His hands rose to cup her jaw, thumbs brushing back and forth along her cheeks. Soft, reverent.
"It is his loss. A man who can't handle everything that you bring to the table doesn't deserve to share the same air as you."
She grimaced, blinking wetly. "If a two-time Grammy winner is nothing, then what does that make me?"
He smiled, his lips pressing to her forehead, cheeks, nose, jaw. Every soft press an indentation on her heart.
"My perfect girl....you're everything."
A beat, her favorite smirk sliding into place on his lips.
"And I intend to handle every fucking inch."
Playing for Keeps will be returning VERY soon, took a small mental health hiatus 🤍 may or may not also be releasing chapter one of a new fic very soon...
NOT LIKE YOU
WDC Oscar Piastri x Pop Princess
sneak peek under the cut because I am so ready!
"Look at me, sweetheart."
Her reluctant gaze met his, thrown by the fire in his own stare. His hands rose to cup her jaw, thumbs brushing back and forth along her cheeks. Soft, reverent.
"It is his loss. A man who can't handle everything that you bring to the table doesn't deserve to share the same air as you."
She grimaced, blinking wetly. "If a two-time Grammy winner is nothing, then what does that make me?"
He smiled, his lips pressing to her forehead, cheeks, nose, jaw. Every soft press an indentation on her heart.
"My perfect girl....you're everything."
A beat, her favorite smirk sliding into place on his lips.
"And I intend to handle every fucking inch."
