Okay. So. Lewis's number 9 (oops, 8) in 2023 means that 2022 happened the way it did, which means that they did struggle together and. Ok no wait let me. Oh oh oh okay look we know that George has been higher in the standing in 2022 with the horrible car, right. But we also know that that's mostly down to Lewis's sacrafices in terms of letting them do the experimenting on his car during the first half of the season, plus the general amount of bad luck. So it's not really saying all that much. But still, enough people out there are now thinking that with a great car the title fight would be between George and Lewis and George now has his Mr. consistency reputation.
What if, in the tp au, the 23' fight isn't Lewis vs George (knowing that Lewis wins that dwc) but Lewis vs Max or Charles or both. Or all three. Meaning that George only really comes close to winning when Lewis is gone. So that hurts. Or even if George vs Lewis was a part of it, it still wouldn't have been enough. And George thought he'd be okay with that! Because it's Lewis, so no shame in losing. And he never wanted to be that kind of teammate who's bitter. But then again that is the nature of the sport and they are competitors and they did have the same car and George thought he'd stand a chance against Lewis in a fair fight, but it turns out that ultimately he didn't, not enough to best him -- So that makes the legacy painful, yeah??
And then, 2024, with Lewis gone, he still doesn't win, even though now he feels or everyone feeld that he really should have. You said Max wins? PARALLES??? Tell me it's fraud number 3.
But god, none of that is on Lewis. It doesn't make sense to blame him and it's so unfair but George doesn't deal well with everything, he's just not okay, he can't help it, it's just how he feels, resentful, bitter, frustrated, cynical, whatever - when really he's just angry with himself.
IT'S SO GOOD. IT'S NOT OKAY, IT'S SO TOXIC, BUT SO GOOD. Because how is Lewis supposed to handle that, right? None of what George might throw at him is something he's actually at fault for. But will he be able to be level headed about it? When he sees history repeating with yet another person who meant the world to him turning against him because of his success? You know?? But also - does he allow George too much, maybe, because on the one hand he is his boss now but on the other hand he is his boss now and he doesn't want to pull rank and make things worse, he doesn't want to let his own emotions compromise him??
Ok I could go on but I think I'm being incoherent af so I won't, for now, but yeah can you tell I'm excited
ANON <3333333333333333333 i love u. over and over again. incredibly lengthy reply under the cut and also a tiny sneak peak of chap one:
george isn't in contention for the WDC in 2023, but he's definitely up there and aligned with what people expect from mercedes. He's got a decent car behind him and he's got raw talent, everyone knows he does, but lewis is still lewis and george still has so much to learn.
And he doesn't compare himself to Lewis, because he's the first to tell you lewis is the GOAT - i mean, that's canon anyway LMAO - but he just so desperately wants to prove to lewis that he's got what it takes, that he's worthy of the mantel lewis is inevitably thinking about handing over, and that mercedes is in his safe hands when he's gone.
i don't want to reveal too much, but i can say george comes very very close in 2024 to beating max and it's by his own volition that he doesn't. and everyone had expected him to, george and mercedes and the fans and fuck, his performance has been so dominating in a way nobody expected from him necessarily to happen so soon, but lewis left and george had the heavy weight of mercedes' expectations dumped on him that he had no choice but to step up, to be better, and so he does.
but it still isn't enough. he doesn't win the WDC, and at the end of it all it doesn't matter how close he comes, he doesn't win. he bottles it when it mattered most and it's something a lot of fans don't forgive him for, because it's nobody's fault but his own. there's no car worthy of blame, this time, it's all on george and he suffers the consequences for it.
and it sucks him down, pulls him under and doesn't let him back up for air, the disappointment he knows he's caused evident in the way people look at him, how they speak to him, how his team keep him far away from social media in the weeks after Abu Dhabi. his safety net with lewis is gone, along with the man himself, and george is so alone with it all that it consumes him, forces himself to put up walls he's never had to before just to come through the other side with his soul intact.
he doesn't entirely succeed.
but you're right, none of it is lewis' fault - lewis doesn't owe george anything, and george knows that, somewhere in the depths of himself he knows lewis doesn't owe him a single thing but it's easier to resent him for leaving him all alone than to take a look at himself and take ownership for the choices he's made that's gotten him where he is.
but then lewis isn't not at fault entirely, either - he sees hints that george is struggling, not enough to solidify it for him, but enough that he has to actively ignore it to stop it from clawing at him. he sees it and he doesn't do anything, because they're not together anymore and it's not his problem - george isn't his problem - anymore. and if it keeps him up at night, if he can see the hollow look in george's eyes and the pretty porcelain of his smile so painfully fake to all who know him when he shuts his eyes, well. nobody but him will know about it. he doesn't do anything not because he doesn't want to, but he doesn't think it's his place to, but george doesn't know that.
here's a snippet from lewis' decision to rejoin merc as team principal, and you'll see what i mean:
"When he sees history repeating with yet another person who meant the world to him turning against him because of his success?" anonnnn this hurt so much!!!! because at it's centre this fic is a story of misunderstandings and trust breakdowns between two people who, at their core, still love one another so much but don't ever talk about it. lewis thinks george is turning against him because he can't deal with failing to follow in lewis' footsteps, and george thinks lewis left him all alone to deal with the pressure because he simply didn't care enough about him to stick around anymore.
IT IS... KINDA TOXIC ICL. but i hope it doesn't put anyone off, because it's so much more nuanced than that (but i totally get if it does lmao) and i hope it's an enjoyable read.
thank you so so so much for this ask, i couldn't believe it when i saw it in my inbox sjdnkjasn i'm SO glad you're excited about it cus i really am!!!!
@hamartio said : "your flesh is fallible. you, as usual, have chosen the moral high ground—a pity it does not net you any true victory, jayce." metallic digits dig into jayce's jawline, droplets of blood smearing the dark steel. his grip is unyielding, unkind, but there is something possessive underneath, something still feeling underneath the monstrosity the herald has become. he hums, the sound taunting. "a pity that only stops you from reaching true progress."
THIS IS THE PRICE OF WAR. to wage war against creator is to defy metallic, unloving hand whose purpose serves for naught but its master ( forsaken friend, embers of camaraderie dying & yielding to ferocious winds of war ; here, this battlefield, fate has forced their hands in direct opposition of each other. ), seeking to subdue those that dare not bear the calamity of such lofty, atrocious ideals. perchance therein lies his first flaw, a weakness he may concede to silently, but not here, not fucking here. not when he is at the hands of the enemy, forced to endure humiliation for failing, failing title bestowed unto him. no sentimental value sought from it, but t'was all a duty that he abided by, to prevent viktor from ever becoming this, from ever harming anyone else again.
but he is the fool.
reveling in virtuous truthisms is a practical concept that may present favorable results with each step, each breath, each conversation. it's, as logic dictates, simple, humane, to mend the wrongdoings of the past, to acknowledge them & understand & grow. for years, years was he the fool to think there'd been some progress. the fault falls on him, for believing change could be found at the heart of one so void of any true emotion, the viktor of now is but a husk of the past. his goals achieved, but all at the cost of an intelligible man whose intellect rivaled his own, partners through a sense of mutual understanding, blind to time's flow & endless nuisance of chatter around, there existed none but them through each heated discussion, through each exchange of ideals, through each & every subtle action, it was not sin to fall. man must rise, man must fall, such natural cycle has been adopted for eons, for it is natural, it is natural ———————————— the monster before him is not. but a monster is not natural ; no, a monster is far more fearsome than any being nature could conjure, it is an imposing force that cannot be bound by natural law, a monster is artificial, a monster is a product of man, not unlike the one before jayce.
❛ better to be on the moral high ground. ❜ steady breath, despite battered exterior ; direct opposition, even in the hands of the enemy, hope shall not die. ( this is not viktor ), rivulets of pure crimson ran down bonny features, fresh wounds all but forgotten, a new problem to mend by own calloused hands. ( this is not viktor ) blame must fall on him, defender of tomorrow, for allowing this to happen, for granting the beast before him a rise to order. one fight has been lost, but he must not die here ; not yet, not until insatiable hands seek & find metallic digits, not until own firm grip destroys each & every one for even touching him, not until the herald is no longer an amalgam of parts to form a shadow of the true man, but to resemble the debris of mass destruction around him. there may be no end in sight, but he refuses to remain subservient to one who'd dare strip humanity of its agency. ❛ true progress can only be achieved by living, breathing beings. last i checked ... don't think you have neither of the needed qualities. something like you could never —————— will never know what true progress is. ❜
@hamartio said : there's a suddenness to hector touching eliwood's face, each palm on each cheek as he leans into him, forehead bumping lightly onto the shorter man's own. he grins as he gazes into the clear blue of his best friend's eyes. "the summoner said today is celebrated in their world as the international kiss day, so, of course..." he trails off and presses a cheeky-yet-gentle kiss to the redhead's mouth. "i came to you to celebrate."
it's a thrill & it's an ephemeral moment that, no matter its brevity, shall be implanted within the realm of his heart's garden. very one where his love for hector blooms, very one where he cannot contain these jubilant sentiments that were gifted to him by a benevolent god that rang his truth repeatedly : eliwood was in love, love, love. each part of hector always easy on the eyes, a magnificent sight to behold, not merely for the physical attributes ( o, but how handsome he was, how sought for was each touch from calloused digits !! ), but the courage of his heart, his impassioned mannerisms, the kindness he himself displays for his allies ... one could only describe him as perfect. navy blue locks on his head, his prowess in the heat of battle, the absolution his very presence grants him // oh, lady luck, fate's second in command, do not separate them !!! for it is an impossibility, no ocean, no land, no beast could tear apart meticulously forged bond, woven by their delicate hands, they have worked hard for this.
❛ you came to celebrate ... ❜ half - assed response, not deliberate in any way, but one side of his mind lingers on the kiss, the way how deceiving it all seems. hector's lips, they are a delicacy that none but he know of. their softness, how perfect his cupid'd bow appeared, everything. there is such a thing as the embodiment of concepts & hector is that. he is beauty's incarnation, a captivating individual whose natural beauty exceeds expectation, it is a miracle he does not use these looks for malevolent deeds. he would never. he is an honest man. hector of ostia is honest & forward with each vocable spoken into existence. gods. ❛ then allow me to not waste our time, ❜ no need to debate with himself on hector's looks, to perform an act speaks far louder than any discussion his mind could have with itself. hands gently cup hector's cheeks, eliwood careful in his approach, reach to him nearly on tip - toes, forgive him. ❛ i wish to celebrate this moment with you, hector. ❜ & in that moment, his eyes shut, lips pressing against hector's, initiating an elongated, passionate kiss. a day devotes to naught but kissing ... he could think of no better a person to share it with than hector, the man he's come to trust & love.
