the baby sitting co. - ollie bearman
pairing: ollie bearman x wife!reader
theme: fluff; comedy
from iris ◡̈ here she is! my speed-written drabble! this is why i cannot be exposed to anything dad!driver-related stories because i will get influenced to write and i will think about it for hours, and i will spend the entire ride home from work typing it up on my notes app.
(I was planning to turn this into a recurring series, so treat this as a teaser of some sort 😆)
Being young parents is difficult; hell, being normal-aged parents is hard, but being young parents with two kids under two? That was a whole different level of chaos.
They hadn't planned on having them quite so close together. They swore up and down they’d been careful the second time around, but clearly, life had a funny way of surprising them. So here they were: blessed with a one year old and a one month old, living on two hours of sleep, five cold cups of coffee, and pure delusion.
"Baby, it's okay, you really don't have to bring the cubs to the track. I can handle it," she murmured softly, watching her husband struggle to button his shirt. The cubs was their little nickname for their sons, Theo and Milo. Ollie was stubbornly insisting on taking both boys with him to work since it was just Media Day. He wanted so badly to give his wife a chance to breathe, to rest, to just be a human for a few hours.
Ollie gently shook his head, turning around to pull her close into a tight, lingering hug, resting his chin on her head before pressing a warm kiss into her hair. "No way, darling. I’ve got this. You stay right here and rest. Take a nap, or maybe take ten naps. You deserve every second of sleep, okay? Besides, I'm sure the journalists won't mind me holding a baby or two while I answer the same four questions I've answered a hundred times."
She let out a soft laugh, nuzzling deeply into his neck and breathing in his scent. "I love you, you know that?"
"Oh, I know," Ollie whispered, a faint, sweet smile tugging at his exhausted lips. "We’ve got two little Bearmans that prove it."
The first hour was actually surprisingly quiet. The drive over was peaceful. He had downloaded piano renditions of his favourite Taylor Swift songs on his phone and made sure to have them on repeat to keep the atmosphere in his car as calm as it could be. When they arrived, Ollie pushed the heavy double pram through the paddock, smiling warmly as engineers and staff waved at him and his tiny passengers. Even with dark circles under his pale eyes, he was a proud dad showing off his whole world.
Kimi spotted him first. "Hey, mate. You look like you haven't slept in days." Ollie gave a quiet, fond laugh. "That's because I haven't." Kimi patted his shoulder in consolation before bending down to smile into the stroller. "Hi kiddos, it's your favorite uncle," Kimi declared softly, wiggling his finger. Ollie rolled his eyes, but his smile only widened.
At the Haas Hospitality, Esteban was quick to approach, crouching down low with a big, gentle smile to greet the children. "Hey there, Little Ollies." Ollie spent a few moments chatting with his teammate about his kids and the activities lined up for them that day. Everything was going smoothly until the first wave of tears came through.
"Dada!" Milo whimpered out of nowhere. Then, with his tiny lip trembling, the one-year-old burst into a loud sob. "Oh no, Mi, what’s wrong, buddy?" Ollie’s dad instincts kicked in so fast. He quickly and carefully lifted his toddler, cradling him against his chest and swaying back and forth. "Are you hungry, sweet boy? Got a bellyache? What is it?" Milo tucked his tear-stained face into Ollie's shoulder, still crying. Ollie tried to soothe him with one hand and to check his diaper with the other, all while nervously watching little Theo, who was fast asleep in the stroller... for now.
Just as Ollie felt himself drowning in panic, Gabi stepped into the room with wide, open arms and the kindest expression. "Oh, meu amor, I could hear you crying from next door," Gabi cooed gently, stepping forward without a second thought. He softly lifted Milo out of Ollie’s overwhelmed arms and began bouncing in a slow, comforting rhythm. Almost instantly, Milo’s tiny sobs turned into quiet snuffles against Gabi's shoulder. Ollie let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief, his shoulders finally dropping. "Thanks, mate," he whispered, genuinely touched. Gabi just gave him a reassuring nod and a soft smile.
Before Ollie could even sink into a chair, tiny Theo stirred in the stroller and let out a fragile newborn cry. "Oh, sweet boy, Dada's got you," Ollie whispered softly, lifting the baby into his arms and holding him close to his heart. He gently offered a warm bottle, and to his overwhelming relief, Theo latched on right away. Just then, his manager stuck her head in. "Ollie, media tent in five." Ollie froze. He looked down at the tiny baby feeding peacefully against his chest, then over at Gabi, who was already sitting cross-legged on the carpet, gently playing peek-a-boo with a now-smiling Milo.
"Leave Milo with me, mate," Gabi said quietly, looking up with a gentle grin. "My sessions are all done anyway. We’ll just hang out."
"Are you sure, Gabs?" Ollie asked, his voice full of humble gratitude. "100%. Go on."
"I owe you," Ollie murmured, giving him a deeply grateful look before stepping out, cradling Theo close.
On his way to the media zone, he nearly ran into Max. "Hey Ollie. Hey, Little Ollie," Max greeted, stopping in his tracks with a surprisingly soft look in his eyes. "Hey Max," Ollie panted, checking his watch with a quick glance. "Sorry, I'd love to chat, but I'm running a bit behind for the interviews." Max took one look at Ollie's messy hair, his pale face, and the baby held tightly against his chest. His expression softened completely. "Here, let me hold him for a bit." Ollie hesitated, taking a step back. "No, Max, I couldn't possibly—"
"I insist," Max said softly, extending his hands. "You look like you're going to pass out any second. I've got him. Go do your work." Ollie looked into Max's calm eyes, then carefully placed his newborn into his steady arms. "Thank you so much. I promise I’ll be back as fast as I can."
"Take all the time you need," Max said gently, carefully cradling the tiny baby against his chest like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Ollie rushed through his interviews as fast as he could, but one interview led to an unexpected second round, which turned into a brief team photo request. Ten minutes stretched into forty, and forty stretched into two long hours. By the time Ollie was finally free, a wave of desperate guilt washed over him. He practically ran through the paddock, his chest tight, checking every garage. No sign of Gabi and Milo in the Audi hospitality. No sign of Max and Theo in Red Bull.
Where are they? His heart hammered against his ribs.
Then, over the soft hum of the engines and machinery, he heard it. A bright, unmistakable burst of laughter coming from the upper terrace. It was unmistakably Milo. Ollie ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and rounded the corner into the lounge.
The scene that met his eyes melted every ounce of panic instantly.
Half the grid was gathered together on the floor. Milo was being gently lifted in the air by Kimi while Gabi, Liam, Arvid, and Isack were doing ridiculous, silly dances just to hear him giggle. A few feet away on the plush sofa, Charles was holding little Theo with the utmost care, gazing down at the baby with the softest, warmest smile, while Lando, Oscar, Alex, Max, and Carlos sat beside him, patiently waiting for their turn to hold the baby next. Ollie stood in the doorway, his chest swelling with an emotion so thick and warm it brought prickles to his eyes. "Guys... oh man, I am so, so sorry I took so long..."
"Ollie!" they all called out softly, beaming at him. "Dada!" Milo squealed, reaching out his tiny, chubby arms. "Dada missed you so much, Mi!" Ollie walked over with a glowing, beautiful smile, sweeping Milo into his arms and kissing his little forehead over and over before setting him back down into Kimi's lap.
He then walked over to the couch, where Charles looked up at him with gentle eyes. "He's so adorable, Ollie. They both are," Charles whispered, carefully handing the sleeping newborn back to his father. "Thank you," Ollie choked out softly, pressing his cheek against Theo's head. "Gotta give all the credit to my wife, though."
Kimi then stood up, looking incredibly proud. "Hey, Ollie, look. We actually taught Milo something today." Gabi grinned from the floor. "Yeah, we worked on this for the last hour." Kimi made a tiny fist and held it out to the baby. "Milo, pound it!"
The one year old let out a giggle, balled up his tiny hand, and perfectly fist-bumped Kimi's knuckle, sending the entire room laughing. Ollie rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt, but he couldn’t stop the massive, genuine laugh that escaped him.
For the next hour, they were in a room full of drivers sitting together, laughing quietly, taking turns passing the babies around, and making sure Ollie felt supported. It was the first time in months that he'd found himself able to breathe freely without overthinking the next diaper change or feeding schedule.
When it was finally time to go home, Kimi stayed behind for a second, clapping a warm, reassuring hand on Ollie’s shoulder. "You're doing great, mate," Kimi said softly. "If you two need a hand, never hesitate to call. You’ve got a whole team ready to help." He smiled, giving his best friend a tight side hug.
When Ollie finally unlocked the front door to their apartment that evening, the flat was quiet and dim. His wife was curled up on the couch in his oversized sweater with a bowl of chips, watching a movie.
The moment she heard the door open, she scrambled up. She quickly tied her hair up, washed her hands at the sink, and ran over to the doorway. "My babies! Mommy missed you so much," she said lovingly, gently taking Theo into her arms and kissing his head. She then sat down on the sofa, leaning over to press a soft kiss to Milo’s cheek as the toddler giggled softly. "Mama!"
Then she looked up and saw Ollie standing behind the sofa, watching them with eyes full of overwhelming love and devotion. "What about me?" Ollie pouted softly. "Don't I get a kiss too?" She let out a chuckle, motioning to the space beside her. As soon as Ollie plopped down, she moved over to press a tender, lingering kiss to his lips. "I missed you too, my big baby." They stayed silent for a bit. Ollie wrapped his arm around her as she held Theo in her arms and Milo leaning on her side.
She then looks up at him with a gentle grin. "How was your day with the cubs?" Ollie looked back at her with a contented smile, letting out a long, happy sigh.
"Well... let’s just say I think I found a way for us to actually get a full night of sleep."
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