Just thinking before bed (instead of sleeping) about how it would be cool to describe Max's move from F1 to NLS as... physiology? Omega Max, looking like he did closer to his teenage years: too thin from stress and diets, rigid from pressure, and heats completely absent.
And then — he's been actively preparing for the Nürburgring for three months now, literally living with Dani, Lucas, and Jules (and other team members, but let's focus on the core lineup). Their small but cozy pack. Max is visibly becoming happier, especially against the backdrop of the regulations — but they notice more than just that.
Max becomes fuller, especially his thighs. He sleeps more, and off-track he becomes soft, even fragile. And over these months, he's had three heats — which is more than he's had in the last three years combined. Max doesn't even notice the changes until his clothes become too tight and his mood has been bad for too long. But it's not a problem — especially after he finishes a long simulator session and Lucas and Dani press him between them.
So he doesn't think about it — until the Formula 1 season starts. And then he's confronted with it again.
The paddock room frankly stinks, Max realizes — because his team has shown him that a nest can smell like comfort and love, not resentment and competition. The people here are harsh, abrupt, especially when Max isn't eager to go further. The other drivers unexpectedly notice Max and... is that really him? He looks like a truly blooming omega, ready for pups if not already pregnant.
Hence a rumor of pregnancy is born, twisted for speculation. Red Bull doesn't like this — they try to shield themselves by all means, to the point where Max himself has to drive a journalist away. He has to become harder again, his scent becomes heavier, losing its relaxed quality. The drivers still believe the rumor — because why else would he have changed so much, right?
Meanwhile, his team, during their own sessions, is almost openly aggressive, seeing how with each new photo Max becomes darker. So when it's all over, they don't hesitate — they catch him right after everything. And only then does Max exhale. He relaxes, not even realizing how hard it had been for him.
But the scent doesn't come back. The weight slowly disappears. And the heat never arrives.
And it's then that Max realizes — all the sacrifices of staying in Formula 1. Because it turns out, things could be different. And it hits him harder than he wanted. He doesn't cry — but when he buries his face in Lucas's chest in the nest, no one says a word, only quietly wrapping him in their scent.
