pato tries his very best to get dating rumors with you. it works, sort of.
ꔮ starring: pato o’ward x best friend!reader.
ꔮ social media au.
ꔮ includes: romance. profanity. idiots in love, friends to lovers, indycar photographer!reader, pato is a little shit (affectionately), pato is down bad. title is from taylor swift’s paper rings.
ꔮ commentary box: okay we GET ITTT 🗣️ i’ve been going crazy over pato lately and, to no one’s surprise, @landoscarino is the one to finally convince me to write for him. pato o’ward, i am free on thursday night if you’re free on thursday night 🦆 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭
yourusername
♫ Keep Driving - Harry Styles
Liked by patriciooward, alexpalou, and others
yourusername after years of capturing motorsports across different series, i’m happy to share that i’m officially joining indycar as one of their official photographers this season. lfg! 🤙
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user1 queen behavior omfg
user2 Loved your work for F2, so psyched for you !
caiocollet 👏 ♥ Liked by author
user3 INDYCAR PHOTOS ABOUT TO GLOW TF UP
coltonherta So excited to see you around 💪 ♥ Liked by author
patriciooward i’m still your favorite driver right
↳ patriciooward right yourusername
↳ patriciooward RIGHT yourusername???
↳ yourusername can you please develop some shame
elbaoward replied: so happy you liked the rescue we chose ❣️ hola bueno! and congrats again, my love!
davidmalukas replied: can i pet that dawg
patriciooward replied: wtf why am i cropped 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 so you hate me and you want me to die
yourusernamepriv ꗃ
♫ You’re On Your Own, Kid - Taylor Swift
Liked by patriciooward, kyle_kirkwood, and others
yourusernamepriv doing my rounds and i swear i’m a #strong #independent #woman but i lowk wish i had a boyfriend to carry around my shit lol
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lundgaardofficial patriciooward
elbaoward patriciooward 🤭
nolansiegel Yo patriciooward
yourusernamepriv oh lord here we go
patriciooward I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE
patriciooward *pointing aggressively to self* pick meee PICK MEEE
patriciooward i know you’re seeing these comments ayo yourusernamepriv just one chance please
↳ yourusernamepriv win a race n then we talk
↳ nolanseigel Why would you say that. Now we’re all fucked
patriciooward
♫ Crash My Car - COIN
Liked by lando, oscarpiastri, and others
patriciooward st. pete was ok. redemption arc incoming. just keep watching yourusername
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elbaoward 👀
user1 the tag??? did i miss a couple of chapters
user2 What’s the lore What’s happeninggg
user3 Serás campeón Pato 🧡
yourusername 🤡 thought we were having a nice little jokey joke
↳ patriciooward i don’t play around when it comes to U
↳ user4 pato f2l arc?!
↳ user5 Is she Pato’s girlfriend?
↳ yourusername user5 no
↳ patriciooward yourusername …t yet
yourusername replied: CAN YOU STOP
↳ patriciooward replied to yourusername: can’t stop won’t stop 🤠
yourusername
♫ Moves - Suki Waterhouse
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yourusername somebody was feeling a lil put out from my ‘soft launchy’ (his words, not mine) stories so here’s my official post. happy international best friend day to the og
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user1 Did i just watch Pato get friendzoned in 4k hd
josefnewgarden LOL.
lundgaardofficial Getting this framed and printed for the garage. Thanks for the top tier ragebait.
user2 girl that last pic. he wants to eat you alive /pos
user3 🤣 poor pato
user4 If he’s not yours can I have him??
user5 did anybody else come here from pato’s most recent post because omfg
patriciooward
♫ Circus Music - The Hit Crew
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patriciooward yea happy ‘best friend’ day
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user1 this is INSANE work.
user2 WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT THE FIRST PIC!??!
elbaoward 🤦 no words
↳ patriciooward 👼
user3 only driver ever to pray for dating allegations…
user4 The hand placement is making me dizzy
user5 thoughts? yourusername 🎤
yourusername get help. ♥ Liked by author
↳ patriciooward i’d rather get you
↳ user6 she’s so much stronger than me bro
↳ user7 Can they just date already please???
yourusername TAKE THIS DOWN
↳ patriciooward only after i get to take you out
↳ patriciooward eyes on me @ iowa, baby
patriciooward replied: “win a race n then we talk” i’m here to talk ♥ Liked by author
davidmalukas replied: etsy link please?
lando replied: tagging her username 3x... we saw it the first time bruv
yourusername replied: why couldn’t you be normal
yourusername replied: also this is a joke right
↳ patriciooward replied to yourusername: give me a kiss and i’ll tell u 👩❤️👨
request: Y/N spends months crushing on Lando, only to be heartbroken when he moves on with someone else. Ready for something real, she realizes she had her eyes on the wrong McLaren driver all along—maybe it was Pato she should’ve seen from the start.
pato o’ward x reader
—----------------------------------
Your 16-year-old self would be disgusted at you if she knew that you’d be 23 and simping over a man who did not feel the same about you. But you couldn’t help it, everytime you thought it was over, Lando would pull your right back in.
It wasn’t really even his fault, you had both agreed to keep things casual, that you weren’t looking for anything more. But somewhere along the line, it became a little blurred. You tried to take a step back, but everytime you did he pulled you right back closer. Whether it was random flowers he sent to your door, making sure that everyone knew he took your opinion the most serious out of all the McLaren strategists, or coming over to watch a movie and not hooking up.
You felt crazy. You knew logically that you needed to cut it off but damn you just loved his attention. He could make you feel like you were the only girl in the world.
But you knew that wasn’t the case. If you weren’t there on his arm, someone else was. It was never anything serious – until it was.
It was a race day just like any other and you were buried in data, trying to figure out what you could do between now and qualifying to ensure Lando started P1 on Sunday. You had been at it for a while now, interrupted only by the clearing of a throat. Max Fewtrell stood next to your desk, and the look on his face had you instantly stopping. He looked…guilty?
“What’s up?” You asked, and he hesitated.
“I need to tell you something that is going to hurt you,” he started. “But you’ve become one of my closest friends so I can’t let this go on any longer.”
“What are you talking about?” You asked, heartbeat raising.
“Lando is bringing his girlfriend ot the race tomorrow,” Max said and it felt like you had been doused with a cold bucket of water.
“Girlfriend?” You asked, the word foreign on your tongue.
"Yeah," Max winced. "I'm so sorry. I thought you knew. It's serious apparently. They've been together for a few months."
A few months. The words echoed in your mind as you tried to process what Max was telling you. All those nights, all those moments that felt like something more—they had meant nothing.
"Who is she?" The question left your lips before you could stop it.
"Some model he met at a party in Monaco." Max's hand came to rest on your shoulder. "You deserve better, Y/N. You always have."
You nodded numbly, tears threatening to spill. "Thanks for telling me."
After Max left, you sat motionless at your desk, staring at the data that suddenly seemed so meaningless. Months of your life wasted on someone who had been leading you on while building a relationship with someone else.
The next day, you kept your head down, focusing entirely on work. When you spotted Lando in the garage, you ducked out of the way, avoiding him for as long as you could. You were forced to finally see him during the pre-race briefing and you doing everything in your power to not look at him did not go unnoticed.
“Y/n,” Lando called as everyone walked out. “Can we talk?”
You nodded, gaining the courage to look him on the eye. You knew he knew what was happening the second his eyes met yours.
“I-I I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I should have told you, but we always said it was casual between us right?”
“Why didn’t you just say something?” You asked, your sadness melting into anger. “Like what’s fucking wrong with you Lando?”
He flinched at your tone, the guilt written all over his face. “I know. I just wanted both of you as long as I could have it.”
“And then you decided that you wanted her more,” you said for him, your heart ripping in half. “Quite frankly I never want to see you again.”
Hurt flashed across his face but you didn’t give him a chance to respond, moving past him and out the door.
The race went horribly. Lando dropped from P2 to P10 and it was just a disaster all around. You knew it was your last race, you’d made the decision last night, before even talking to Lando. There were plenty of things you could do with an engineering degree so you weren’t worried. You could go anywhere you wanted. Away from all of this.
Zak was in a conference room when you found him and you shut the door behind you as you walked in. He looked up at you in surprise, the doom and gloom from the race on his face.
“Hey y/n, tough day today,” he said and you nodded. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m going to be leaving McLaren,” you told him, trying to not let your voice waver. This was your first job and you loved the people here. Loved the work, the environment, everything. But you couldn’t stay.
“What?” Zak veered back, shocked. “After one bad race?”
“It’s more than one bad race,” you said quietly and in that moment he knew. He’d seen the two of you together, and wasn’t the only McLaren employee that was confused by another girl’s presence today.
“What are you going to do?” He asked and you shrugged.
“I don’t know yet,” you admitted and he shook his head.
“Y/n, you are one of the most talented young strategists we’ve come across,” he told you. “I can’t let you leave.”
“I can’t stay Zak,” you said, exasperated. He thought for a moment before lighting up.
“IndyCar,” he said and your eyebrows furrowed. “If you’re okay to move, let me put you on one of our IndyCar teams, probably Patos.”
You hesitated. You were open to moving somewhere new and across an ocean was pretty far away from Lando. Plus you’d get to stay in racing, which was definitely ideal.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” you said and Zak grinned.
“It’s settled then.”
—-----------------------------------------
“Welcome to Indianapolis!” Your new coworker, Hannah beamed at you from outside of the Arrow-McLaren office in downtown Indy.
“Thank you,” you said politely.
“I know we don’t go to as many glamorous places as you’re used to but Indy is pretty historic for racing,” she said.
“Yeah, I actually grew up in Kansas City,” you told her and her eyes widened it surprise. “So I’m familiar with all of this, even if it’s been a while. “
“Sorry! They never tell me anything,” she grumbled.
“No worries,” you told her sweetly. She led you through the lobby and to the upstairs floor, where different mechanics were working. She was around your age so you felt comfortable chatting with her, happy to have someone to be friends with in a new place.
“Okay Tony is waiting for you in his office up there,” she told you and you thanked her before stepping into the room.
“Ahh, y/n, pleasure to meet you,” Tony said, standing up to shake your hand. “Zak sings your praises all the time so I’m happy we got to steal you away.”
“I’m happy to be here,” you said, sitting down across from him.
“I’m going to put you on Pato’s team - he’s our best driver here and I think you guys will get along,” he said and you nodded. “Ah here he is, Pato! Come in here for a sec.”
You turned as the door opened, and in walked a man you'd seen on TV but never in person. Pato O'Ward had a vibrant energy to him, his smile genuine as he entered the room. His eyes landed on you, and for a moment, you felt a flutter of something you couldn't quite place.
"Welcome to the team," he said, extending his hand. His accent was thick but endearing. "Tony has been talking about you all week."
"Has he?" You shook his hand, noticing the calluses that came from gripping a steering wheel for hours on end.
"All good things," Tony assured you. "Pato, Y/N is coming to us from the F1 team. She's one of their top strategists."
"Was," you corrected with a small smile. "I'm all IndyCar now."
"Well, their loss is our gain," Pato said, his gaze not leaving yours. You smiled shyly before turning back to Tom.
“Well, let’s get started.”
—------------------------------------
IndyCar was a whole new puzzle to crack, but you were loving the challenge. The other strategists had welcomed you with open arms, eager to hear your ideas for the car as you headed into a race weekend.
Pato was fast, but Alex Palou was faster and it was a problem you were drowning trying to figure it out. It was late, the warm air of Riverside blowing gently through your hair as you stepped outside, eager to take a break. No one else was at the track, just you and a bunch of numbers, just like you preferred it.
Switching to IndyCar had been a good move. Max had called you a couple of times to check in and you were honest when you told him: you were happy here. Much happier than you were back there. You’d become fast friends with Hannah, and she’d introduced you to her friends, quickly accepting you into the group.
Working with Pato was a breeze. He was focused and driven but also fun and lighthearted. You ignored the way you caught him looking at you every once in a while. You’d seen that look before, just on a different man in a papaya suit.
“What are you still doing here?”
Speak of the devil, you see Pato coming up to you, a boyish smile on his face. You smile back, appreciating the way the track lights hit his face.
“Trying to get you a win,” you said and he laughed.
“I thought I was supposed to be doing that,” he replied and you shook your head amused, turning back to stare out at the track.
"No, I think it's a team effort," you replied, leaning against the railing. "I'm just used to working late. It's a hard habit to break."
"You don't have to do that here," Pato said, moving to stand beside you. His shoulder brushed against yours, and you tried to ignore the warmth that spread through you at the contact.
"I want to," you admitted. "I want to prove that I belong here."
"You already have," he said, his voice dropping lower. "Everyone can see how talented you are."
You turned to look at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. There was something in his eyes that made your heart skip a beat.
"Thank you," you said softly. "That means a lot."
A comfortable silence fell between you as you both gazed out at the empty track. The distant sound of cicadas filled the air and you were too lost in your own thoughts to see the way Pato was looking at you.
“You know,” he said, breaking the silence. “I was supposed to meet you last year in Brazil but I was told to stay away.”
“By who?” You asked, eyebrows scrunched in confusion as you turned to look at him. You sighed as you saw his face, already knowing the answer. “Lando.”
“Mhm,” Pato answered. “Is that why you came here?”
“Yes,” you said honestly. “I needed a fresh start.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said and you looked at him once again, his eyes on yours. “He didn’t deserve you.”
You felt the heat rise to your cheeks, suddenly very aware of how close you were standing to him. "You don't even know me," you said softly, but there was no bite to your words.
"I know enough," Pato replied, his voice gentle. "I know you work harder than anyone else on the team. I know you care about the success of everyone around you, not just yourself. And I know that anyone who couldn't see what they had with you is an idiot."
You laughed, shaking your head. "You're just saying that because I'm trying to get you a win."
"No," he said, turning to face you fully now. "I'm saying it because it's true."
The intensity in his gaze made your breath catch. For months, you'd been so focused on getting over Lando, on proving yourself in this new environment, that you hadn't allowed yourself any opportunity to open your heart.
“I can’t start something with you Pato,” you said sadly. “No matter how much I want to. I can’t go through it again.”
“I don’t think you understand that it would be completely different,” he said but you didn’t say anything, just looked down at your hands. “Okay, if I have to spend the rest of the season proving that to you then I will.”
It felt like you were back in F1, watching Max lurking like a shark in the background, quickly gaining on whoever was in front of him like a shark who had seen it’s prey. Except this time the shark was Alex Palou and Pato was unfortunately the prey. Pato had led almost the whole race but Alex did what he did best: win.
The garage was dejected, despite taking second and third and you fully expected the silent treatment from the drivers. Lando always shut down after races, always so in his head that there was no point in talking to him. Pato was quiet during the debrief but you were used to it so it didn’t bother you.
Picking up your stuff, you headed out the door. Pato was waiting for you outside and you looked at him in surprise. You would have expected him to get back to the hotel as soon as possible.
“Do you have plans?” He asked and you shook your head. He was still in his fireproofs, sweat and champagne stained on his face. “Get something to eat with me and talk about the race?”
“We just had a chance to talk about it, but you didn’t say much,” you countered and he rolled his eyes.
“I just want to talk to you right now, okay? I’ll talk to the rest of the team when we’re back in Indy,” he said.
You hesitated, caught off guard by his directness. This wasn't what you expected after a race that didn't go his way. But there was something in his eyes—an earnestness that made it impossible to say no.
"Okay," you agreed. "But you should probably change first."
He grinned, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "Give me ten minutes."
True to his word, Pato emerged from the motorhome shortly after, dressed in jeans and a simple black t-shirt that hugged his frame. You tried not to stare.
"There's a little place around the corner that's pretty good," he said, leading you away from the track. "I found it last year."
The restaurant was small and unassuming, tucked away from the main streets where most of the racing crowd would go. The hostess greeted Pato by name, clearly recognizing the driver and led you to a table in the back.
"So," you said, taking a sip of your wine. "Second place isn't bad."
"It's not first," he replied, but there wasn't any bitterness in his tone. "Palou is just... consistently good. But we're getting closer."
“We have the advantage on some of the upcoming tracks though – you’ve performed better than he has in the past.”
Pato’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, a smirk growing on his face. “Watching my old races huh?”
You rolled your eyes but a smile was evident on your face. “Doing my job.”
The rest of dinner was spent going through the race almost lap by lap until you really just had nothing left to say. Pato paid the tab and held out his hand to you almost challenging as he got up. You rolled your eyes but took it, letting him lead you out of the restaurant.
“Tired?” He asked, once you were outside and you nodded. “Okay let’s get you home cariño.”
You blushed at the term of endearment and he grinned widely before tugging you along to the car. The ride back to the hotel was short and he walked you back up to your room, gently pressing his lips against your cheek before saying goodbye.
Remember what happened with Lando
Remember what happened with Lando
Remember what happened with Lando
You chanted this to yourself as you got into your room but it was becoming hard. Pato seemed to be everything Lando was not but you had built up a lot of walls around your heart. You still didn’t know what you wanted, not sure if you could handle another situationship during a season just hoping that it could be something more in the offseason.
There was a few weeks in between races so you packed your bags to head off to a nice vacation during your free time. Hannah had begged you to join her and her friends so you found yourself on the sunny beaches of Punta Mita, baking in the Mexican sun. By day three of the vacation your skin had a nice glow to it and you decided you never wanted to go home.
You were sitting on loungers outside with your friends watching the sunset, a margarita in your hands when you saw a familiar face sitting at another lounge area, his eyes trained on you. Your head snapped towards Hannah who looked over your shoulder then smirked.
“Did you know he was going to be here?” You asked.
“I swear I didn’t, but I’m definitely not complaining,” she said with a smirk and you groaned. Soon enough, Pato was walking over with his friends, asking if they could join you all. The seat you were sitting on was definitely big enough for two so you begrudgingly scooted over as Pato plopped down next to you. His arm rested behind you on the back of the lounger and he gave you a small smile.
“Hola hermosa,” he said cheekily and you couldn’t help but smile at his antics.
“Are you stalking me Pato O’Ward?” You said and he let his head dip backwards, laughing.
“Oof, using my full name, does that mean I’m in trouble?” He asked.
“Maybe,” you teased.
“I’d love to see what the punishment is,” he murmured, eyes flickering down to your chest. Your face flamed which only made his smirk deepen. He pulled you in closer to his side and you panicked, feeling yours and his friend’s knowing eyes.
“Pato, everyone can see us,” you whispered.
“Kind of the point cariño,” he replied, letting his hand fall to rest on your upper arm, tracing the skin with his finger. You started to say something else but he jumped into a conversation with his friend next to him.
You couldn't help but feel conflicted as you sat nestled against Pato's side, the warmth of his body seeping into yours. The sun was setting over the ocean, painting the sky in vibrant oranges and pinks, and despite your internal protests, this felt... right.
After a couple more rounds of drinks, the group decided to head to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Pato's hand found the small of your back as you walked, guiding you through the crowded beachfront. The gesture was small, but intentional. Public. A statement.
"You're not being very subtle," you murmured as you reached the restaurant.
"I'm not trying to be," he replied, his eyes meeting yours. "I told you I would prove that I'm different."
At dinner, Pato insisted on sitting next to you, his leg occasionally brushing against yours under the table. The conversation flowed easily, most of his friends having been around a lot of his racing so they could keep up with you and Hannah. When it died down, most of the group decided to turn in for the night but you weren’t ready to retire just yet.
“Walk with me?” You asked Pato and he nodded, slipping his hand into yours as you headed down the shoreline. Being with Pato was easy. You were never stressed, never waiting for the second ball to drop.
He walked you back to the resort, stopping before the staircase that led up to your floor. You turend to him in confusion but were cut off by his lips against yours. They moved slowly and you found yourself moving against him, bringing your hand up to cup his face. His rested on your waist, holding you close to him.
You pulled away after a bit, biting your lip as you stared at him.
“What are you thinking cariño?” He asked.
You hesitated, heart hammering in your chest. You weren’t sure if it was the warmth of the kiss still lingering on your lips, or the way his voice sounded like honey under the moonlight, but the words tumbled out before you could stop them.
“I like you,” you admitted, eyes dropping to the sand. “But I’m not sure I want to do this again, just be someone there for your convenience not able to commit during the season. I’ve already done that before.”
The words hung in the air like a challenge, one you almost regretted the second you said it. But Pato didn't say anything right away. His expression shifted, the playfulness draining from his face, replaced by something sharper—something that almost looked like hurt.
“Wow,” he finally said, his voice low. “You really think that little of me?”
Your eyes widened, head snapping up. “Pato, I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did,” he interrupted, shaking his head. “You meant it. And maybe that’s on me—maybe I was too forward, maybe I made this all feel too easy. But I’m not him, Y/N.”
He took a step back, still looking at you like you’d just slapped him.
“I’ve never once treated you like an option. I never played games. I’ve shown up, I’ve been honest, and I’ve waited—for you to see me, to trust me. And I would’ve kept waiting if you needed more time.” His voice cracked slightly at the end, and it cut you to your core.
“I’m not asking you to be mine right now,” he added. “I’m not asking you to give me anything you’re not ready for. But I am asking you to stop treating me like a placeholder for your past.”
Your throat tightened, your own eyes stinging with tears you didn’t expect.
“I’m sorry,” you whispered.
Pato nodded slowly, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll wait for you as long as you need, Y/N. But only if you’re willing to believe I’m worth waiting for too.”
And then he turned, starting to walk back toward the resort, leaving you with your bare feet in the sand and your heart unraveling in your hands.
—----------------------------------
You didn’t hear from Pato for the rest of the break and you tried to not think about the silence. It was hard to not compare him to Lando but it felt like you were right back in it. Big fight, usually a misunderstanding, and then he wouldn’t look at you and you’d pretend it didn’t hurt.
That’s why you were dreading the return to the office, you knew he was going to be there today and you weren’t ready for the silent treatment in person. Hannah gave you a sympathetic look when she saw you, having heard everything that happened when you both travelled home. You spent the first half of the day at your computer, analyzing some data before deciding to get up to grab some coffee.
Rounding the corner you ran straight into someone, your sorrys were cut off by two arms wrapping around you, pulling you into their chest.
“Hola hermosa,” Pato whispered into your ear and you relaxed into him, letting your guard down. You couldn’t help the tears starting to gather in your eyes as he pulled away. “Oh cariño, what’s wrong?”
You tried blinking away the tears, but one fell and was quickly swiped away by his fingers.
"I thought you were going to be mad at me," you admitted, voice shaky. "I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore."
Pato's face softened, understanding replacing his initial concern. "Is that what he would have done? Gone silent on you?"
You nodded, unable to meet his eyes.
"Look at me," Pato said gently, tilting your chin up. "I meant what I said on the beach. I'm not him. I was hurt, yes. I needed space to think, but I wasn't going to throw away what we have because of one fight."
"I'm sorry," you whispered. "For comparing you to him. For not trusting that you're different."
"I know," he replied, brushing a strand of hair from your face. "And I'm sorry I walked away. I should have stayed, talked it through."
The admittance that he could have done something differently didn’t go unnoticed by you and you started to say something else when someone called out your name.
“Y/n!”
You turned around to see Zak Brown coming down the hallway and your face broke out into a massive smile.
“Zak,” you greeted and he pulled you into a bear hug, lifting you off your feet.
“Oh how I’ve missed you,” your old boss said. “I hope you’ve been keeping up with the F1 races, I need your advice.”
“Of course you do,” you teased. Zak reached out to shake Pato’s hand before Pato excused himself to head to lunch.
You walked with Zak to the conference room, chatting about the previous F1 races and what he was thinking.
“I saw you and Pato,” he said as you reached the doors and you froze before deflating.
“Just hopping from one driver to the next aren’t I?” You asked quietly. “I know what you’re going to say.”
Zak looked at you carefully, “Lando didn’t deserve you, everyone knew that. But Pato’s different. He looks at you like you’re his whole world so what I was going to say is that I’m happy for you.”
You looked up at him in shock. "You think so?" you asked, a note of vulnerability in your voice that you rarely let anyone hear.
"Y/N, I've known Pato for years now," Zak said, leaning against the doorframe. "That man has always been passionate about racing, about winning. But I've never seen him look at anything the way he looks at you."
You felt warmth spread through your chest at his words.
"Besides," Zak continued with a knowing smile, "I didn't transfer you here just because you needed to get away from Lando. I sent you here because I thought you'd be brilliant with this team. And maybe, just maybe, I thought you and Pato might hit it off."
"You were playing matchmaker?" You laughed incredulously.
"Call it an executive decision," he winked. "Now, about these race strategies..."
The meeting with Zak flew by, and by the time you emerged from the conference room, it was late afternoon. You checked your phone to find a text from Pato.
Dinner tonight? My place. I'll cook.
After stopping by your own place to change into something comfier, you headed to Pato’s. He smiled as he opened the door when you knocked, stepping aside to let you in.
“It smells amazing,” you commented. You knew you were no longer going to enjoy your family’s white people taco nights after just one glance at what was cooking in the kitchen.
Pato grinned, stepping back over to the stove to stir something in a pan. “It’s my mom’s recipe,” he said. “I figured if I was going to earn your forgiveness, I should start with food.”
You laughed softly, walking toward the kitchen island. “You already have my forgiveness,” you said, watching the way he moved so confidently around the kitchen, barefoot and in a soft black t-shirt. “But if you want to impress me, this is definitely the right way to do it.”
“Good to know,” he said with a wink. “Because I plan to keep trying.”
Dinner was relaxed, the two of you sitting across from each other at his kitchen table, a bottle of wine between you. He kept your cheeks warm with compliments and your stomach sore from laughing. It was comfortable—easy in a way that didn’t scare you anymore.
After the dishes were done (you washed, he dried), Pato grabbed a blanket and led you out to the small balcony that overlooked downtown Indy. The sun had long set, but the glow of the city lights made everything feel soft and quiet.
You curled your legs beneath you as you settled onto the outdoor couch, Pato sitting next to you and draping the blanket over both your laps.
“It’s kind of wild,” you said after a few minutes, your voice low. “That I ended up here. That it took me going through all of that mess just to realize the right person was someone I hadn’t even met yet.”
Pato turned to look at you, his profile lit up by the warm patio light. “I hate that he made you feel like you were hard to love,” he said quietly. “Because being with you? It feels like the easiest thing in the world.”
You swallowed, heart thudding in your chest as you met his gaze. “I was so scared of getting it wrong again.”
“You didn’t,” he said, reaching out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “You just hadn’t found the right person to get it right with.”
A beat passed between you before you leaned in, pressing your forehead to his. “Are we really doing this?” you whispered.
Pato smiled, the kind that reached his eyes. “We’ve been doing this for a while now, haven’t we?”
You kissed him again, slower this time—deeper. It didn’t feel like a maybe or a placeholder or a temporary distraction. It felt like a beginning. When you finally pulled away, Pato rested his hand against your cheek.
“So,” he said, eyes dancing, “do I get to call you mine now?”
You couldn’t stop the smile that bloomed across your face. “Yeah,” you whispered. “I think I’d like that.”
“Good,” he murmured, brushing his lips over yours again. “Because I’ve been yours since the day you walked into that office.”
And under the stars, wrapped in his arms, you finally believed it.
F1’s current female driver is invited to be on Brittany Broski’s Royal Court! Do they match each others freak?
Main masterlist pinned on my profile!
Instagram--
ynln
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User7 Ariana what are you doing here?!?!
user1 Brittany?? What are you doing here???
user2 if this is a collab, it will be my roman empire
user5 not the rookies all finshing the lyrics 😭
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user4 YN LN, queen of side quests, strikes again
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Youtube--
IKR Filming--
It was a little warm in the small studio, especially because of the heavy lighting and costume velvet surrounding me; however, I could not be more excited. It was summer break, and the first thing I did was get on a flight and explore LA with my dear friend Brittany Broski. I've been a long term fan of hers and somewhere along the way, through a string of comments and shared fans, we began an online friendship. She invited me to be on her show, Royal Court, and I jumped at the chance. That brought me here, inside the studio, sun kissed by the California sun, and decked out in a crown and cloak. I smiled at Brittany as she spoke, "Welcome to Royal Court! The show where pop culture royalty compete for a spot on my trusted council. Today I am joined by most feared jouster, please welcome Lady YN LN!"
The room filled with gently applause as I strutted onto set! I used my arms to make the cloak flow in the "wind." This earned a laugh and bigger applause from Brittany. Before taking a seat, I dramatically bowed to her, "your highness! Its an honor to be in your presents."
"My liege! How was your journey?" she jokes.
"Dragons these days, they just seem to be getting smaller and smaller! But the carriage ride was simple lovely!"
"Ahhh yes, I'll make a note to beef them up in the realm," we laugh amongst each other and I reach over to grab her hand. She held it back in a smaller welcome before shuffling the aged paper in her hands, "Lady YN, are you ready for the trials set before you today?"
"I want to say yes, but with you I never know!"
"Watch your tongue madame, or I'll have you thrown in the dungeon!" She sends me a pointed look before chucking and continuing on, "Without further ado, let the trials begin!"
Brittany clapped twice and I braced myself, first the main lights went off and then two direct spot lights flashed on. Despite knowing this was going to happen, I was still caught by surprise. Her team chuckled at my slow blinks and shocked expression, "and here I thought my new tan would look good."
"Yea the lights wash us out a bit."
"Mmh, you just couldn't let anyone look better than you! I'm on to you Brit," I muse. The team behind the cameras laugh at my accusation, before Brittany carries the show onward.
"Ms. LN, we're starting this trial off with a very serious question. Please prepare yourself."
"Yes ma'am, hit me."
"How do you not pee in the suit? Like genuinely, I need logistics." I immediately leaned forward laughing, and I heard Brittany lose it next to me. As soon as I composed my self, I made eye contact with Brittany and we both lost it again.
After catching our breaths I begin my answer, "I know for some drivers who do pee in their suits, this is a hard thing to do, but for me I keep it in mostly with the overwhelming need to preserve my dignity. I am also not a stranger to last minute bathroom break."
"I feel like I would pee in the car."
"I have no doubt in my mind that you would. I personally can't imagine looking my team in the face and being like 'great race today, also there's a puddle of my piss that needs cleaning from the seat.'"
"No yea, that makes sense."
"Would that stop you?"
"Probably not," she looks down at her papers, "these next few are about guys in the dating sense, so buckle up and forget about your husband for a minute. Can you do that for me, ma’am?”
I laugh at her antics before nodding seriously, “I think I can manage.”
She nods back, “firstly, do you get the ick when a guy doesn't know how to drive stick? I feel like if I was paid to drive around 200 mph on a manual steering car, if a man couldn't even do that in a regular car, I couldn't do him."
"Uhhh not really. It’s also a different kind of manual, so that helps them. If they can't drive at all, then I really get the ick, ya know? You're a grown man and can't even travel long distances without someone else's help, what else can't you do wash your ass? No thanks, pass."
Brittany bursted out into a belly laugh before replying, "thats so real."
"Like I don't mind if he's a passenger princess by choice..."
"But he needs to be able to get behind the wheel if the time calls."
"Exactly! But, all that to say I did bag a racing driver so no worries here!"
"That's right! Girl, you married a man who can, not only drive fast, but he looks damn good doing it!"
"Damn right he does!” I giggle before bragging on Pato even more, “he can drive stick, manual, and open wheel!"
Brittany looks away from me to make eye contact with the center camera, "this is what an icon looks like. Take notes. Next up, what's more intense, driving a hairpin turn in the rain, or trying to explain to a man on Hinge what you do for a living?"
"Explaining the job is easy, especially if I named dropped Max or Charles. What's really intense is explaining basic empathy to men on Hinge," I answer, chuckling.
"Thats so true queen, but I can't imagine you, out of all the women out there, fighting with a man to understand empathy."
"Listen," an embarrassed blush creeps onto my face, "there was a time, when a young YN was riding the F1 rookie high. Men from all different countries took me out and when you're with a 10/10 hottie, sometimes you put up with some red flags. But guess what? It all worked out in the end!" I smile at the camera over Brittany's shoulder and flashed the rings on my left hand.
Brittany let out a laugh, "yes ma'am! I LOVE you!! To wrap up my section about men, who's the hottest F1 driver and why is it always the brooding one who never smiles?"
I playfully sigh and look down, "it always comes back to Kimi Räikkönen, doesn't it?"
"Listen there is something about a grumpy man who has a soft spot for me and me only!" We broke out into another laughing section, causing me to grab my stomach, "anyway, you are the paddock queen of side quests."
I begin looking around the studio, this causes Brittany to stop reading her question and her crew to laugh, "I think you're wrong there Brit, I only ever drive and sleep. I have 100% focus all the time. "
"Ahh yes you are so correct, thats my bad. Please forgive me."
"No," I state flatly. We make eye contact once again and begin to laugh.
"So if you were to go on a side quest, like the Met Gala after party with Sir Lewis Hamilton, do you show up hungover to the track or behave?"
"See when my trainer and team see this, I'm gonna wish I said behave; the truth however..."
"You can be real here girl, no worries," Brittany goes to rest a hand on my knee, as if a serious confession was coming.
"Well, if you insist," I joke sitting up straighter, "all I'm gonna say is Max Verstappen won a championship hangover, so who am I to question science."
The crew loses it before Brittany moves on, "10/10 answer. Has anyone ever said something so bad, so offensive in a press conference that you've wanted to run them over with a car?"
I widen my eyes in fake surprise and lean towards Brittany, making sure to whisper into the mic, "how did you find out about May 23, 2022? No one was supposed to know about that!"
"Now that I know, will you have to kill me?" She replies with the same energy, holding back her laughter.
"No, I don't think so," I suddenly lean back and far to casually say, "something about diplomatic immunity."
"Ohhh ok good! I'm relieved," she wipes fake sweat off of her forehead, "are you ready for the final question?"
"Yes my most royal, supreme leader, I am!"
"Which track is the most slay? Like if the circuits were girls, who's the baddest?"
I break out into an amazed smile and begin to think, "that’s such a good question! I think there are too many different types of slay to just pick one. It depends your personal vibe— the old money girl, who wears linen pants and carries a Hermès bag? Monaco. But on the other end of the spectrum is the trendy, influencer it girl in the form of the Miami GP track. She’s the one you want to pick the club. If I had to choose one of the girls to be the most slay in my eyes, it would be Imola. She’s rich, in vibe and history, and she’s hosted so many of “the greats.” She knows how to party, in a classy way. I feel like she always pairs the correct type of wine with her food. I could never."
"Thats such a good take, if we had all day, I'd listen to you go through all the tracks."
"Maybe later when I'm wine and dining you," I send a joking wink, poking fun at our dinner plans later.
"With the wrong wine pairing?" She fires. I make a mock offended expression.
"Ok now," I look away from her and to the crew behind the camera, "is this shit over? Can I go now?"
"No, stay, I'm sorry! If I can be vulnerable with you right now, I don't know how to pair wine with food either."
"It's like an art! Whenever I go out for a meal and Yuki is there, I make sure to sit next to him and let him take charge. If you mess up around him, you will catch the sass of a thousands real housewives, it's insane," we laugh at the mention of his sass, "I think you would enjoy a dinner with Yuki, he makes great conversation and its fascinating to watch him judge a meal."
"I'll have my people call his people," she jokes before placing the aged paper down on the table and looking into the camera, "Lady YN, you passed!!"
Small applause filled the space once again, "You know Brit, it was tough there for a moment, didn't know if id be able to overtake some of those questions."
"Someone has gotta keep you on your toes, these F1 drivers can get lazy. I offer my congratulations on surviving my royal interrogation! I must ask, has all this truth speaking worked up an appetite?"
"truth speaking?" I whisper, giggling, before Brittany motioned to ignore her poor wordage, "I have, madame Broski!! Bring on the grub!"
"Hell yea! Squires," she claps twice and her crew members bring us both silver platters. With another round of claps, they remove the lids. I see an array of food with different tracks pinned on toothpicks and stuck into them. I smile at the presentation and look up for her to continue, "I prepared several delicacies from across your land! Now, I wanna quiz you on what represents what. You have the tracks printed to help you."
"OMG, ok! I can do this! I see mini croissants with the Moza track and, im assume, that is paired with the candies for Imola. I don't know what they are but I'm going to guess espresso?" Brittany nods and I cheer, "I know the flavors of Italy!"
"This is our low budget version of an Italian breakfast!" She laughs.
"Ohh I see!" I chuckle, "it's wonderful! Am I guessing them all, or are we eating in between?"
"Let's eat between, because I have topics to discuss with each one and I dont wanna have to circle back," we all laugh at her honesty.
"Love the honesty, let's do it!" We both grab the croissants and take a bite, "yes I love a stale, supermarket croissant to represent Italy."
Brittany breaks out into a laughing fit, "and the quality isn't gonna go up from here, so buckle up!" I pop a candy in my mouth before nodding for Brittany to continue, "ok so, do you ever eat your feelings in the Parc ferme over the race results or is that just me on the couch?"
We both crack up before I speak, "its so sweet that my results have an effect on your, I'm flattered! I don't normally eat my feelings, at least until a few hours later. That being said, when fans gift me snacks throughout the day, I do have a tendency to break into them in my drivers room." I smile sheepishly at what I just admitted.
"Oh ok, I see how it is," she rolls her eyes playfully before motioning for me to continue my guessing game.
"I'm interested in this," I raise a cheap paper cup filled with bubbly liquid, "it has the Monaco track, and I wanna say its either grape juice or champagne."
"Bottoms up," Brittany raises her own up and we cheers. I take a large swig and start coughing.
"I did not think that was actually alcoholic!" I pull the cup away from my face and look at it, "I'm sure Charles will be glad to see his glamorous home country is represented by a paper cup."
"You were warned about the quality. For this county, I want to ask if you had a cocktail made in your honor, what would it be? And is it lethal?"
"My answer already exists, but it's a French martini. She's pink, she's fun, she's feminine, I love her! It's a martini with black raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice. And, like me, she's as lethal as you make her!" I finish with a laugh and finish the champagne.
"Thats such a solid answer, I think I'll have to try one at dinner tonight but it does sound very you!"
"Thank you! I love them more than life itself," I smile and see Brittany gesture to continue, "I see some seasoned almonds with the Spanish GP track,"
"Yes these are Spicy Marocna Almonds. And on the topic of spicy things, I wanna hear your best F1 hot take."
"Brittany, you are trying to get me canceled," I tried the almonds while I thought over my answer, "these are amazing! My hot take would have to be, if you have only ever raced in superior machinery you can't call yourself a legend. You don't have to have won, but true legend material can at least show some promise in an underperforming car."
"Oh tea, watch your back after that once," Brittany replies, "ok Lady YN, carry on!"
"Okkkk, I see a very tiny cucumber sandwich," I examine the plate, "for Silverstone?"
"You are correct! I'm getting the feeling this challenge should've been made harder. Someones getting fired," she threatens her team behind the camera before focusing back, "as we dive in, what circuit has the best food."
"Ok," I ponder while chewing the sandwich, "before I get into F1, let me tell you the best place to get food at an IndyCar race."
"Ooooh ok, bonus content!”
"Its not often I get to see Pato race in person, but when I do I let myself get lax on my diet, and if my trainer sees this I'm joking..."
"Girl saying that hot take made you so bold, be careful now," Brittany laughs.
"Oh girl I know this will be brought up in a team meeting," I joke back, "but anyway Road America has the best food, hands down and thats from a fan POV. If I had to pick for F1, the actual tracks themselves I dont know, just because I'm always eating team meals; however, food outside of the track I'm picking the Mexico GP. Nothing is better than authentic Mexican food, and I stand by that."
"I see I see, I would love to try it sometime," she responds.
"Girl, remind me and I'll fly you out! Anyway, I feel like my answer perfectly segways us into our final treat, the food for the Mexico GP, which is represented by 100% authentic chips and queso!" I joke looking down at the tortilla chips covered in poorly melted shredded cheese. Both Brittany and I throw our heads back in laugher and I have to wipe tears from my eyes.
"I thought this was a judgment free zone!" Between laughs Brittany finally gets out her question, "have you ever cried over a meal during a race weekend?"
"Funnily enough I have!"
"Ok, love! What was the meal, and as it worth the breakdown?"
"Oh it was 100% worth it, and it was homemade 'tacos de trompo.' I have no clue what that translates to in English, nor will I be learning."
"Y'all mind if a white girl speaks a little Spanish tonight," Brittany jokes, causing us both to have yet another laughing fit, "can we hear the story behind this cry."
"Ok so what triggered it was the food was truly that damn good. But it was a super bad race weekend, we didn't have a great qualifying position and I didn't make it much higher in the race. Pato had come to the race and I was super upset that I didn't perform very well for him," I began to laugh at the absurdity of this story, "and so to try and make me feel better, Pato cooked his favorite meal in the small hotel suite kitchen. I remember feeling so overwhelmed because he loved me and that dish was so goddamn good! I still beg him to make those tacos one a week."
"I imagine you're across the world, just on the phone begging," Brittany laughs out.
"No I swear, I'm prepared to insulate a box and pay for priority shipping."
"Also cooking dinner? That’s very much wifey material of him,” Brittany comments.
“No literally. When Megan said, ‘I don’t cook, I don’t clean, but let me tell you I got this ring.’ She was speaking to me. Ho was in my walls and wrote that about me.” Everyone in the studio breaks out into a laughing fit at my confession, before Brittany continued through broken laughter.
“Well Lady YN, how did you enjoy the royal feast?" Brittany asks in her special accent.
"It was quite delicious, your highness! I think we need to start a food review show," I say.
"You know, I agree."
"We'll start with the F1 calendar, and then go from there!" I chuckle.
"Quitting my job here as we speak so I can focus on those full time!"
"All these people just got fired in real time," I joke pointing to her crew behind the camera who are all struggling to keep in their giggles.
"They'll be fine, you can only go up from here. Next on the royal agenda is creating you a family crest and that way everything you own can belong to me since you're apart of my realm."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," I glance down at the paper with prompts and look back up, "this is where you ask the serious questions right?"
"Yes!" She smiles and looks into the camera filming on my side, "YN LN fan of the show! First question, you've broken into of the most male dominated sports in the world, what part of the journey tested you the most?"
"The hardest part was seeing the guys id drive with get all these offers and opportunities. It’s not easy for everyone, there are some guys I used to drive with who didn’t make it to f1, so I’m not alone in this struggle. It sucked, and sucks, to know that I don't need to be good enough or equal to these guys, I need to be better to really prove myself. "
"Are you sick of running as fast as you can?" She asks, I giggle before replying.
"Wondering if id get there quicker..."
"If I was a man," we sing together.
'Literally my personal anthem," I laugh.
"Next up, was there every a moment where you felt yourself truly become an F1 driver?"
"There was! I feel like the answer I should give is my first F1 win, however it’s not my honest answer. When you asked that the first thing I thought of was a little girl from the Silverstone GP my first year racing. She ran up to me with the sweetest little accent and told me that I inspired her to work extra hard when karting and that she wants to race like me one day. She then gave me this friendship bracelet that I wear everyday," I raised my arm to show off the bracelet made of different shades of pink and purples, "I actually invited her and her mom to watch that race from the garage and then I got a podium so that was super fun. Being her inspiration made it all feel real, not just her but so many people were watching me and looking up to me. You don't get that feeling unless you're doing something important."
"Thats beautiful," Brittany smiles softly, knowing how much the moment means to me, "I don't know if you have a different answer for this, but what's the moment that made all the sacrifices worth it?"
"When I gifted my mom my very first trophy. I have all the others displayed in my home, but that one," I smile and think back to that day, "I was still sticky with sweat and champagne, running around on the winners high, but everything slowed when I saw her, standing alone amongst the chaos. I didn't even think 'I should give her this,' I just felt it, it was like instinct. We were both crying and it made everything we'd given up worth it," I take a moment to glance up at Brittany, she wears a soft smile and her eyes are on the brink of tears from the happy story and the emotions in my voice. I pause my drawing and straighten up my back, "I owe her so much more than a trophy. I may have sacrificed a normal school career and friends, but she gave up so much money, time, and energy. I mean, my mom let her underaged daughter go racing around Europe without her, I don’t know if I’m even strong enough for that. She deserves the world in repayment."
"Awww come here," in the midst of a normally hilarious and chaotic show, Brittany brought out a sweet and tender moment for me. We had small tears clouding our vision when we embraced, "that was amazing, thank you for sharing that."
"Thank you for letting me!" I smiled, attempting to bring the energy back up, "another good answer would be when I married Pato. I mean everything that brought me to racing also brought me to my smoke show of a husband!"
Everyone laughed, "and we're back to unserious!"
"Girl I am being very serious, I don't play about my man!"
Brittany wiped her tears from laughing before beginning again, "moving on, what kind of legacy do you want to leave? Not just on the race track, but for the girls who come after you?"
"A legacy filled with fearlessness and unapologetic energy. I want people, girls, to look at my life and my career and never see a timid, meek girl; I want them to look and be inspired to be loud and get shit done."
"Get. Shit. Done." Brittany pretended to write on her stack of questions, "I love that and, may I add, you are doing a lovely job at leaving. Watching you on my TV and also getting to know you personally, you give that same energy and this is only the start. I can only imagine what your legacy will develop by the time your old."
"Aww I love you Brit," I make eye contact with the camera, "get you friend like Brittany Broski, she always knows what to say."
"Aww stawp it," she fans herself before whispering, "no keep going, keep going. I kid! What is something you wish male F1 fans would stop saying to/about you?"
"Ugh!" I let out a groan of annoyance, "Anything that involves me sleeping with someone. I got every seat in my career through hard work and grit. This pussy is good, but thats only for my husband to know."
"AHHHH!! YES MA'AM!!" Brittany exclaimed at my statement, cracking the whole studio up, "on that absolutely iconic note, Lady YN please present your shield to the realm!"
"Ok! Everyone please be kind, my drawing skills are not the best," I nervously chuckle holding up my paper.
"Oh its good!"
"Thanks Brit," I smile before continuing, "the first prompt was 'my personal royal court,' so I drew my pit crew as knights, with my trainer holding a gauntlet, and my engineer holding my steering wheel as a sword, all in stick figure form of course. Next was my 'weapon of choice', so I drew my steering wheel again. I debated drawing my rear with open, but DRS is too unpredictable to be my first choice, Oscar would agree. Next, was a 'pre-race comfort,' and I drew a note. I keep this note in my phone case and look at it before every race. It's from Danny Ricc, he left it stuck to my car before my ver first F1 race. The drawing version says, 'now go send it, -Daniel.' The real version," I pause while I retrieve the note, "says ' Hey legend, big day. First F1 race — soak it in. You earned that seat, so trust yourself. Block out the noise, keep it clean off the start, and let the rest come to you. You don’t have to prove everything today — just drive like you know you can. Oh, and smile. You're doing something epic. Now go send it. – Daniel.' I miss Danny in the paddock everyday!"
"I would get that tattooed on me," Brittany says amazed while I show her the aged note.
"I've been debating getting one of the lines tatted, don't temp me or else I will. Anyway, the last piece was to illustrate and write my motto. For this prompt I drew a bottle of champagne surrounded by a laurel wreath, and on the champagne I wrote, 'I don't race to prove, I race to reign.' Before now, I didn't have a motto but being here with you, Brittany, I was inspired," I wrap up with a smile.
"Thats amazing! Would you please sign that for me?" I nod and sign right above the crest, "perfect. Now Lady YN, please take a knee so I may knight thee. It is my upmost privilege and honor to knight thee Grandmistress of the Grid, blessed by racing gods and engine gremlins alike!"
"Thank you Queen Broski!" I exclaim as applause fills the studio once again. She has me the Royal Court mug as a parting gift and I thank her.
"Is there anything you'd like to promote to my realm?"
"Yes! Watch me drive in the Formula 1 racing series! We have practice and qualifying runs, and most importantly, we race on Sundays!" I turn to Brittany once again, "It was amazing to be here! Thank you!"
"It was amazing to have you! Squire, please escort the lovely lady out!" With two claps, a crew member extended their arm for me to take. I gently grab ahold and flutter my cape the same way I did on the way in. I watched as Brittany finished the video and called the day a wrap, "does this make anyone else wanna go to Medieval Times?"
"Oh count me in girl," Brittany exclaims as we both laugh.
Comments--
User1 DUO👏OF👏THE👏CENTURY👏
User2 ugh YN looks SO good!!
User3 Pato can you fight???
User4 get me someone who matches my freak like YN LN matches Brittany’s 😩😩😩
User5 “forget about your husband for a minute” HAS ME DEAD
user6 it was so funny to see YN relive her dating days!
User7 no cause her eyes when she was talking about explaining empathy to men… girlie has dating war stories
User8 this is my official petition to get YN on the Broski Report to share dating stories
User9 no cause she’s so real bc if I raced with me, I too would make drop Max and Charles on a date
Used10 I’d be to scared they’d leave me! Charles is so pretty to name drop
User11 LMAO YN SMILING WHEN MENTIONING KIMI DURING THE HOTTEST F1 DRIVER QUESTION!! She’s just like me fr fr
User12 she has 10/10 taste
User13 Yn ate down with the track girlies question!
Ussr14 right?? Like her observations were a 10/10
User15 it makes me wanna draw all the tracks as IT girlies
User16 her brining Yuki up when talking about pairing wine with food?? That’s too sweet
User17 no cause imagine her, Brittany, and Yuki all at dinner— that’s a recipe for disaster!
User18 the low quality spread for different race tracks is cracking me up!!
User19 YN tried so hard to hide her laughter 💀
User20 ok now I really need a Brittany and YN food review show! Imagine they go to all the F1 tracks and then the IndyCar tracks!!
User21 anyone else crying over the Pato taco story?? Like he cares about her and can cook??
User22 dream man right there
User23 answering a serious question and turning it into a Taylor Swift karaoke session is very on brand for YN and Brittany
User24 YN wearing a friendship bracelet from a fan years ago makes me cry!! She’s so sweet and sentimental
User25 no because her saying that was the moment she felt like a driver was actually so nice to hear! It was refreshing for it to not be her actually driving, but rather the impact she has on fans
User26 at the end of the day, YN really does care for us!!
User27 watching YN talk about her mom and both her and Brittany get emotional killed me!! As a mom myself, it’s super nice to see her genuinely care and appreciate what she did!!
User28 YN drawing her team as stick figures and fantasy characters was so clever!!
User29 right, I know they loved it when they saw the video!!
User30 THE LETTER FROM DANIEL??? 😭😭😭
User31 hits different in 2025
User32 he was always so genuine and kind, it’s nice to see little things like that pop up!
Instagram--
ynln
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ynln I've been knighted!! My episode of Royal Court is out now!!
in which everyone’s favorite ‘honorary wag’ stops being ‘honorary’
face claim. tate mcrae
content warnings. in this universe pato takes lando’s seat in mclaren so ignore everything that says indycar or arrow mclaren thank you so much 🫡 fans being dumb. misogyny. lowkey doesn’t make much sense buuuuut what? we don’t care! poorly translated japanese. is this too similar to my cs55 smau? i cant tell. i had fun making this even if its lame, finally a smau in so so long.
liked by lilyzneimer, alexandrasaintmleux, oscarpiastri, patriciooward and 529,730 others
yourinsta professional third wheel since day one 😞
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lilyzneimer we’re so sorry
oscarpiastri she’s the one who should be sorry
yourinsta oscarpiastri i paid for dinner you should be thankful
user honorary wag 🙂↕️
user why is she always with them? 🙄 like leave them alone girl
user i know right? she’s so weird
user and the world keeps spinning
user big fan of whatever this is
patriciooward we could turn those into double dates 🤷♂️
yourinsta who are you?
kikagomes these comments.. god forbid a woman has hobbies ♥︎ from the author
user ma’am i fear we don’t care about you third wheeling… WHERE’S THE ALBUM?????
yourinsta you’ll be ok guys i swear
liked by patriciooward, lilyzneimer, kikagomes, charles_leclerc, lewishamilton, oliviarodrigo, danielricciardo and 612,920 others
yourinsta since you guys kept begging for it: ‘so close to what’ will be yours may 6th with the single ‘2 hands’ coming to you april 6th (mv included to keep you well fed) 🧡🧸
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user UGGGGHHH I CAN’T WAIT 😩
user is this the album cover…?
yourinsta nope
user oh thank god
user i sense… album of the year??
lilyzneimer proud of you 🧸
yourinsta i love you soooo mwah
user lily baby you can do better than this 😭
user why is no one talking about the dates…
user RIGHT? pato and oscar’s bday dates
user ew.. is she some kind of slut?
oliviarodrigo oh finally
user lily needs to get better friends
flomillishit gag ♥︎ from the author
patriciooward is this my birthday gift? 🥰
yourinsta i mean i guess bro
user STANDING OVULATION!!!! or whatever ♥︎ from the author
oscarpiastri why are you such a fan
yourinsta whatever helps you sleep at night lil bro
liked by patriciooward, lilymhe, gracieabrams, sza, vernonline, sabrinacarpenter, mclaren and 630,830 others
yourinsta need a little less talk and a lot more touch 🐻⭐️ 2 hands out now babyyyyy hope you guys enjoy listening to it as much as i did making it <3
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patriciooward let’s goooo
yourinsta pato podium todayy
user i love that we’re finally getting more music but i kinda miss seeing her in the paddock
user girl she WAS in the paddock today
user notice how neither lily nor oscar have liked or commented on this…
user lol they finally noticed she wants oscar badly
user notice how he podiumed today and it’s his birthday…
gracieabrams favvvv ♥︎ from the author
user are those lyrics a snippet of another song??? I NEED THE TRACKLIST NOW
user the mv was WILDDD i don’t know how lily can’t see that her own best friend wants her boyfriend
elbaoward i already claimed a song from this masterpiece
yourinsta that is your jam!
user yn we need the tracklist NOOOWWW
user why are yall acting like she fucked oscar?? weirdo behavior
user ikr?? and like he’s not the only mclaren driver there is .. these bitches piss me off
user “we could do it in my room all day” SHES FREAKED OUT
user why does no one talk about pato and yn??? he’s always looking at her 😭
lilymhe gorgeous gorgeous girl
yourinsta all you babyyy
user who knew she was so freaky..
user lily and oscar not commenting… something went down i fear
user it’s his birthday and their world doesn’t revolve around yn??? ♥︎ from the author
liked by hannahstjohn, elbaoward, oscarpiastri, patriciooward, lilyzneimer and 439,610 others
yourinsta japan i love you (。♥‿♥。)
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user can sc2w hurry up and come out already
patriciooward celebrating a double podium 🙂↕️🙌
oscarpiastri beaten by tututudu 😔
lilyzneimer best food and company ever ♥︎ from the author
user 日本もあなたを愛してるよ 🧡 — japan loves you too
user the heart eyes are for pato i just know it
user nurse she’s out again!!!
user i swear she gets prettier every day
user pato looks so good in every single pic ugh
user tracklist when??? we’re dying out here
user1 how can they hang out after she dropped that?? atp if something goes wrong they’re doing it to themselves
user2 the fact that the video isn’t even bad.. y’all just talk to talk
user1 user2 the obvious references to mclaren + mclaren drivers?? you just don’t wanna see it
user2 user1 mclaren = oscar ?? i don’t know if you know this but there’s another driver in mclaren!! and tbh the man in the mv gives more pato vibes
user 可愛すぎる!!また来てね 🧸 — too cute!! come again
sabrinacarpenter busy woman! 💋
yourinsta all the time and for the rest of my life
user what i’d give to be her 😭
user she really doesn’t miss a single race huh 😒
user let the girl be oh my lord
🎵 2 hands — yn ln
liked by yourinsta, mclaren, oscarpiastri, electrolit, elbaoward and 521,830 others
patriciooward don’t forget to stay hydrated ;)
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user HELLO ?????
user something’s off… oh it’s my pants sorry!
yourinsta say hydrated
patriciooward hi drated
user flash sale! my clothes are 100% off!!! ♥︎ from the author
user juan mecánico
user “PATO 2025 WDC” i scream as they drag me back to the padded room
user can you tell yn to drop the tracklist? thank you
patriciooward i’ll do my best
user oh he knows what he’s doing
user i feel weak in the knees
user oh yn you’re so lucky 😭
user wdym.. aren’t they friends?
user not on my watch
user this is lowkey the best promo for her single
electrolit garage essentials 💧🔧
user pato calendar when?
oscarpiastri he’s my mechanic guys
patriciooward is this because i’m mexican?
oscarpiastri come on mate
user i definitely want his two hands on me at all times ♥︎ liked by yourinsta
liked by sabrinacarpenter, kaliuchis, patriciooward, elbaoward, lilyzneimer, alexandrasaintmleux and 620,830 others
yourinsta official tracklist!!!! ⭐️ you guys should seriously stop begging.. oh btw! ‘it’s ok i’m ok’ is out now ;)
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user bloodonmyhands with flo milli??? instant hit
user mother is working overtime
patriciooward i have the power of leaking in my hands
yourinsta read my shirt boy
user MISS POSSESSIVE??? i fear for my mental health
oscarpiastri it’s ok she’s ok
user ‘i know love’… is this about a certain papaya driver? ♥︎ from the author
user YN WHAT THE HELL
user this whole album feels personal
user ‘no i’m not in love’ sure jan
user ‘nostalgia’ yeaaaah wrap it up
elbaoward miss possessive with elba o’ward
yourinsta how could i forget my most perfect voice actress?
user greenlight is about to wreck me i just know it
sabrinacarpenter i know a little something
user sabrina.. what do you mean
user sports car better be 3 mins of engine noises
liked by patriciooward, lilyzneimer, francocolapinto, kikagomes and 520,832 others
yourinsta this trip was very eventful
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patriciooward i appreciate my privacy if you didn’t know
yourinsta too bad 🙍♀️
user what kind of eventful are we talking about here
kikagomes 2 days for an even more eventful day
yourinsta kinda nervous
user imma need you to give details thank you very much
user i take this post as confirmation that they are in fact dating now i just need them to actually confirm
alexandrasaintmleux to say the least
user the first time i pray to god that any paparazzi caught something 😩
user im happy to say this.. THEY DID 😭
liked by patriciooward and 683,820 others
deuxmoi pato o’ward & yn ln spotted kissing in miami 🧡 sources say things got steamy after the race 👀 not sure if it’s a new romance or if they’ve been dating for awhile… more details soon
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user I KNEW IT 😭😭😭
user why did pato like LMAO
user im refreshing twitter for more pics every minute
user this explains the ‘eventful’ part
user oh pato i wasn’t aware of your game
liked by patriciooward, lilyzneimer, elbaoward, lilymhe, oscarpiastri and 682,630 others
yourinsta ‘so close to what’ is out now 🙂↕️💋
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elbaoward FINALLY
user ‘no seriously, get your hands off my man’ thank you for your service elba we love you
user UGHH THIS WHOLE ALBUM IS A MASTERPIECE
user i love whatever is wrong with pato
user is siren sounds about pato…? be honest pls
yourinsta i don’t know man 🤐
user purple lace bra got me thinking man… am i a girl that’s sexual or am i a girl that’s sexualized
oscarpiastri ‘no i’m not in love’ is very accurate because i had to sit down listening to her talk our ears off about pato and how she didn’t like him
yourinsta here goes my biggest hater
sabrinacarpenter fuck it she needs a minute
user i told yn about my problems and she released means i care guys do not trust her with your secrets
user pato better hold on to her
user bloodonmyhands did NOT disappoint
user yeah what the fuck is wrong with her why would she release nostalgia 😭😭 do not listen to this on aleatory
oliviarodrigo been expecting this
yourinsta it’s yours baby
liked by yourinsta, elbaoward, lilyzneimer, oscarpiastri, mclaren and 673,830 others
patriciooward best birthday with the best birthday present ever 💝 el album de mi novia ya salió para que lo vayan a escuchar paro — my girlfriend’s album is out now so go listen to it please
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user “mi novia” yeah and right there you can see me laying on the highway!
user it’s his birthday and he’s promoting her 😭
oscarpiastri oh finally
patriciooward what do you mean 😊
user mami y papi
elbaoward 26, you’re so old
user hey yourinsta is your boyfriend single?
yourinsta feliz cumpleaños patito 🎂🧡
patriciooward te amo mucho
user hot people dating hot people is what i love to see
user i have never ever been happier
user he better not get distracted from racing tho
user booooo 🍅🍅🍅
user stood up and applauded
🎵 i know love — yn ln
liked by oscarpiastri, patriciooward, lilyzneimer, mclaren, elbaoward, kaliuchis, sza and 698,720 others
yourinsta i said ‘you my type’ out in mexico tonight 🦆🧡🌞 happy 26th to the best boyfriend evaaaa <333
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user reacted 🤬 to your story
user i too would write sports car about him
lilyzneimer ❤️🤏 ♥︎ from the author
user on my mother’s wifi 💔
user THE SMASH CAKE 😭😭😭
sabrinacarpenter favorite couple ever 😭💛
yourinsta mwaaaah
user these pics will be on billboards in my mind forever
user slide 3…. im sleeping on a highway tonight
user are you guys up for a throuple? 😊 ♥︎ from the author
oscarpiastri WET
yourinsta is what i am when i see him ☺️
oscarpiastri woah okay does tmi mean nothing to you?
patriciooward i kindly ask you to stop being this perfect thank you very much i love you
yourinsta i just can’t help it sorry 😞 i love you too
Summary: Pato O'Ward joins a bookclub after losing a bet and falls for the girl running it
(a/n: most of the book discussions are based around the book "Cleopatra and Frankenstein" which I read recently. I will attempt to avoid spoilers for it, but this fic will be able to be read without knowledge!)
Masterlist / TipJar
ynusername
liked by yourbff, and 3,964 others
ynusername May romance book review posting tonight at 8pm, Hope you enjoy!!
view all 42 comments
user Can't wait!
user I love your take on modern romance authors and the current rise on advertising books using so many tropes!
ynusername Omg thank you so much xx
yourbff Yess! This is what I live for
ynusername Hahah thanks love!
yourbff So proud x
patriciooward
liked by nolansiegel, arrowmclaren, yourbff, and 105,256 others
patriciooward Said if I could finish this whole thing in one sitting, I would get 1 favour, anything I want, from Nolan. I failed.
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nolansiegel But now you get a punishment
patriciooward What is the punishment??
nolansiegel Based of the fact in your last interview you said the last time you read a book was when you were 15, something off that
patriciooward NOOOOO
user Ha he is going to be forced to read a book
yourbff @ ynusername has a book club
liked by nolansiegel
user No stomach of steel there
arrowmclaren What did we say about making bets
patriciooward As long as no money is involved, bet away
arrowmclaren no
ynusername
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ynusername June book club read : Cleopatra and Frankenstein
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user Can't wait to read!
user I have already read it but want to read it again to be involved!
ynusername you don't have to! just join in the group at the end of the month and we can all talk about it xx
yourbff Heard good things about this one!
ynusername Me too! I love Coco Mellors, so excited!
patriciooward
liked by nolansiegel, yourbff, arrowmclaren, and 120,352 others
patriciooward Being forced to join a book club has to be the most cruel punishment
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user What book is he reading?
user I want to join this book club
nolansiegel its the @ ynusername bookclub!
user so going to join!
user they are reading 'Cleopatra and frankenstein' omg
user thats a crazy book to read after years of not reading
nolansiegel threw him in the deepend
yourbff @ ynusername he's joined your bookclub!
liked by ynusername
ynusername
book club discussion group - June - Cleopatra and Frankenstein
ynusername Hi everyone! How did everyone find the book?
user I loved it, I loved how certain chapters had a different formatting and writing style for each character perspective shift!
ynusername Yess, it was so refreshing and kept me on my toes!
user I found some of the chapters to run too long, though
ynusername Hmm, I can see your point, however, I always found that there were good moments to pause within a chapter
yourbff I love seeing the relationship between Cleo and Frank grow, shift and change throughout the book
ynusername It felt like a real representation of a maybe toxic or unhealthy relationship
yourbff At some point, I think I hated and loved each character, like my opinion of them changed throughout
patriciooward I agree, characters I thought I liked towards the beginning I disliked towards the end! and vice versa!
yourbff OMG HI
ynusername omg please don't go fangirl crazy in this group
patriciooward (hi)
user Wasn't my taste in books but it was a nice shift in genre for a change
ynusername Everyone is entiled to their own opinion of every book! Sometimes a shift in genre just consolidates my love for others
user Exactly! Probably going to stick to my murder mystery/crime novels after this
ynusername Oooo I'm always looking for books for the next club or just general recommendations!
patriciooward
liked by nolansiegel, yourbff, ynusername, and 152,887 others
patriciooward This book thing is quite addictive
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user haha where is he getting his book recs?
patriciooward @ ynusername ! She has a book club and really good youtube!
user Omg I follow her, she is so lovely!
yourbff @ ynusername HE SHOUTED YOU OUT!
ynusername aww thank you so much x So happy you enjoyed my content
liked by patriciooward
nolansiegel Omg you are so easily influenced
praticiooward shush
user Do you think it is because he thinks the book youtuber is cute?
user I wouldn't blame him
ynusername
liked by yourbff, patriciooward, and 6,632 others
ynusername Busy day of editing videos when this lovely bouquet arrived at my door with a lovely, but nameless, note. Why do I feel like I'm in my romance books?
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user Living the dream!
yourbff You could have a stalker... like why do they know where you live
ynusername They came through my manager, and if they thought it was appropriate, they must be!
yourbff okay so it's definitely cute!
user So pretty and well-read!
ynusername Thank you! xx
patriciooward Can't wait to watch the next video!
ynusername Can't wait for you to see it!
yourbff Do we need to have a lesson about how to flirt
ynusername shut up
patriciooward
liked by ynusername, nolansiegel, yourbff, and 364,238 others
patriciooward Been a good few days in my life!
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user @ nolansiegel what did you do to Pato
nolansiegel I tried to educate him but I created a monster
nolansiegel He won't stop suggesting books to me
nolansiegel And keeps talking about that book youtuber
user omg down bad Pato
yourbff Getting more men to read books, you're doing God's work @ ynusername!
ynusername Hahah don't be silly!
patriciooward I have been changed! Good though
yourbff omg
user He has a dog and he reads, how is he single omg?
ynusername
liked by patooward, yourbff, and 6,871 others
ynusername July book club read : Just for the summer
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user OMG THIS ONE IS SO GOOD
ynusername No spoilers!
patriciooward This sounds really interesting and fun, its a romance no?
ynusername Yes! A more classical romance book rather than the last one we all read, but still fully fleshed out!
patriciooward Can't wait to read this with you ;) x
yourbff oh. my. god. how have you done that
ynusername shushhh I have no idea
yourbff omg flower man??
user I love your cat omg
ynusername He is called Pickles! He's a little stupid, but we love him!
patriciooward
liked by nolansiegel, ynusername, arrowmclaren, and 285,644 others
patriciooward Date
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user Love the caption is just that
user He must have hope for this relationship if he is posting just a date
nolansiegel Good god man
patriciooward What?
nolansiegel You down bad, you flew to her?
patriciooward Was going to, she actually lives close!
nolansiegel Fate
yourbff hmmm
ynusername What?
yourbff I didn't even tag you...
ynusername
liked by yourbff, patriciooward, and 7,252 others
ynusername Last few days: More bookshops, got this lovely hoodie as a gift, went on a few dates, edited lots of videos, prepped for July book club!
view all 42 comments
user Omg she went on a date!!
ynusername I did! I'm living in a novel!
yourbff I approve
ynusername Ha like I need your approval
ynusername I do, thank you
yourbff He is good
liked by patriciooward
user Can't wait for book club!
patriciooward Me too, this one was brilliant!
ynusername Glad you all enjoyed it!
ynusername
book club discussion group - July - Just for the summer
ynusername Another month, another book club
patriciooward I will read anything you tell me too
patriciooward This one was brilliant and I loved it
ynusername Amazing xx Do you want to go into more detail for the group?
--
patriciooward
liked by ynusername, nolansiegel, yourbff, and 341,544 others
patriciooward got forced to read a book, met a lovely beautiful girl because of it
tagged : ynusername
view all 415 comments
user So cute x
nolansiegel I am taking credit for this
patriciooward Did you ask her out? No
patriciooward Did you charm her? No
patriciooward Are you dating her? No
nolansiegel Did (like you said in the caption) I force you to join a book club which lead you to meeting her? Yes
patriciooward Fine
yourbff If anything, I should get credit for telling Nolan about Y/N's book club
patriciooward You get credit
ynusername Handsome man x
patriciooward Thank you cutie x
user Has she even been to a race?
user Does that matter?
user Should I start reading a book
patriciooward Yes, and watch @ ynusername for recommendations!
yourbff Down bad
(a/n: God I think Pato is SO FINE and this was so much fun to write omg!!, let me know how you think it was)
this post is for my sanity but here is a list of drivers i think embody childhood friends to lovers simply just because (not proofread at all):
oscar piastri. so so so obvious. everything about him screams it. so attentive to everything about you and so goddamn proud of you. definitely only smiles like an idiot around you. refuses any other claims of smiling made by anyone else. the happiest when he's with you. enjoys watching you do something your passionate about. more certain about his feelings (and yours) than you are–like a hundred percent tells you out of the blue and is very persistent on them. like he's not shy about his feelings. but madly blushing and giggling to himself when he's with you. big on hand holding, hugging, cheek kisses... as discussed, he ain't shy. nicole probably tried to get you together first but oscar got embarrassed until he realised he needed her help. has a soft spot not just for you, but your entire presence in his life. oscar also likes to plan his dates with you. anything that makes you happy makes him happy.
mick schumacher. this is also obvious. you and mick have known each other your whole life. rumour has it you were born in cribs next to each other. you both know everything about each other. there for each other's most awkward, saddest, angriest, scariest, funniest moments. not sure if your feelings are real bc everyone from michael and corinna to your grandma has been planning for the both of you to get married. very much a blushing type of guy. he'd happily sit and listen to you yap. enjoys spending time with you no matter what. horse riding, picnics, lunch, long drives... mick would pretend they were dates until he actually told you he liked you. maybe this sounds crazy, but a pinky holder. like before you got together... this drove him crazy. such a simple act but he loves it.
paul aron. the endless nights you spent with each other as children in estonia... they were magical. all summer, you were off to the beach or walking around in the warm evenings to cool off. paul is very much in love with you and has been since he first met you. he tries to play it off, acting all cool about it and what not. "oh her? yeah she's my best friend." very happy to have you as his best friend–definitely brags about you. reality of his pretence: he is an absolute mess around you. always smiling here and there resulting in his brother ralf questioning him. thinking about you 24/7. aka very attentive. if you get sick, absolutely will not stand for it. he enjoys taking care of you. other than being in estonia with you, his favourite time with you is go-karting. teaching you what he's passionate about and then listening you lecture him about how worried you always are... it grounds him.
patricio o'ward. ah pato. the very personification of optimism itself. another one who isn't shy about his feelings but gets shy. he can't help it. how could he not love you? you were the best thing that had ever happened to him. pato loves teasing you. always claims you're smiling because of him, that you're blushing, and, wait for it... that you love him. go figure! (doesn't deny anything when people mistake you for a couple.) pato likes the domestic things with you. yes, he absolutely cherishes seeing you at his races. but he likes when it's just you, him, and norbi. like watching norbi run around the house with muddy paws and you're chasing norbi. loves cooking with you and yapping about the past. secretly enjoys when you and his sister gang up on him because he knows how much elba cherishes you. the best thing, however, is all those things in mexico. p.s. he fake proposed to you when you were kids. has the recording of it and intends to play it at your wedding.
charles leclerc. childhood lovers - CL... it's meant to be. pascale endorsed the idea early on and charles thought his mother was crazy. you were his best friend... you and him? surely not. but then he started seeing you differently. suddenly your smiles were making his heart skip. looking down at your teary-eyed face from a podium made him malfunction. the warmth of your hand was a feeling he yearned for as you consoled him. suddenly his platonic 'i love you' made him breathless and he would spend days learning how to breathe again. you always caught his lingering gazes, immediately for you to look away which got him grinning. was literally told not to tell anyone about signing with ferrari but how could he not tell you? waited for his first win with ferrari to actually tell you he's in love with you. (arthur and lorenzo had never been happier because they had been telling him to do it for years on end.) charles honestly doesn't know how formula one will go for him but he had planned his entire future with you in it. likes to carry a ring around with him because he's always waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question.
I'm really excited about the autistic reader fic as a fellow autistic who really wishes there was a bit more inclusivity in the fanfic space. Could I request an autistic driver reader with Pato O'Ward where the reader comes off as cold to people who don't know her and Pato is convinced she hates him until Marcus or Callum accidentally tells him she has a crush on him
Stone Cold Finally Thawed (Pato O'Ward X Autistic Driver! Reader)
Fandom: RPF/Indycar
Requested: Clearly (based on my own autism so be nice!)
Warnings: Autistic reader, sexual innuendos, no use of Y/n (used Stone Cold)
POV: Second Person (You/your/They/them)
W.C. 1705
Summary: Who knew Callum and Marcus were great wingment? And who knew Pato had a lot of sexual innuendos?
As always, my requests are OPEN
MASTERLIST // HITLIST
~~(^Pinterest)
You didn’t get the name “Stone Cold” for nothing. You just lived for racing, and that was it. You couldn’t care less about the other things with racing, but that’s just how you were. It’s always been this way. You came to race, and race you did.
To anyone else, you were standoffish. You didn’t talk to anyone unless spoken to, and you were known to disappear after every session. You were only ever seen with your teammates, and even that was pretty slim. You just didn’t mesh well with them.
When you found out that you were being dropped from JR Motorsports, you decided to try your hand at open-wheel racing. IndyCar was something you had always thought about going into but never had the chance until you were dropped. Prema gave you an offer you simply couldn’t refuse.
Callum was another quiet driver, so it was easy to get along with him. He also made the promo days a lot easier to go through with, and by the start of the season, you would consider him one of your friends. Callum even took it upon himself to introduce you to a couple of other drivers, namely Marcus and Pato.
Marcus was always around because he was Callum’s best friend, so it wasn’t long until you started looking forward to hanging out with them.
Pato was another story.
You just wanted to sit in his presence, but from the brief meeting you had with him, he’s like an energetic puppy! Callum told you that’s just how Pato is. As much as you wanted to get to know him, you got overwhelmed by the short dose you had of him.
It was almost immediately that Pato noticed your cold deminer. Part of him thought you hated him, so he did the only reasonable thing he could: ignore you.
At first, you thought Callum and Marcus had talked to Pato about toning it down around you, but then he just wouldn’t acknowledge you. At least Callum or Marcus would nod your way or gesture for you to join their conversations if you wanted to, but Pato just pretended that you didn’t exist. That’s when it became a problem.
“Did you guys tell Pato to ignore me?” You asked, approaching the two of them sitting in a random trailer.
“Has Stone Cold finally thawed?” Callum joked as he leaned back in his chair to watch you round the couch and sit next to Marcus.
“That’s not funny,” You quipped back, glaring at Callum. “He’s completely ignoring me. I thought you guys told him to chill, no pun intended, out.”
“No, we didn’t tell him anything,” Marcus admitted, propping his foot up on his knee to face you and Callum. “At least I didn’t.”
“No way,” Callum gasped suddenly, “You have a crush! There’s no other reason you would be asking about him. I know you enough to know you wouldn’t care this much if someone wasn’t talking to you. You’d probably be happy if no one spoke to you at all.”
“You’re right about the not talking to me part,” You agreed with a small smirk before it dropped just as fast as it appeared, “But the crush part, I don’t know, man.”
“If you have a crush or if you believe him calling it out?” Marcus clarified.
“Both. I don’t know him enough to know if it’s a crush,” You cringed for a second, “That makes me sound like a child having a fucking crush.”
“Well, then why do you care if he’s ignoring you?” Callum asked, amused, and he was truly finding way too much joy in this situation.
“Because…” You trailed off as you thought about it. “I just wanna be around him, but it’s like he’s repulsed by me. I don’t know what else to say about it.”
You didn’t want to talk anymore. Not about this, not about Pato, not about anything. You got up from the couch and retreated back to the Prema hospitality and into your driver’s room.
Callum and Marcus knew they would have to pull some strings to get Pato to go to you first. They knew you, and they knew you would avoid, bury, and move on. That’s always how you were with your feelings. It also didn’t take a genius to notice this.
“Hey! Pato! My favorite short-term teammate,” Callum exclaimed as soon as he spotted Pato at the track and ran to catch up with him. “How are you, my friend?”
“Why are you kissing my ass?”
“Am I not allowed to catch up with my closest friend on the grid?” Callum sweet-talked as he put a hand on Pato’s shoulder. From behind Callum, he heard Marcus mutter, “Ouch,” under his breath, but Callum just jabbed his elbow back into Marcus.
“You’re lying!” Pato shouted with a smile, “You’re trying to get something because everyone knows that you and Marcus are best friends.”
“Ok, you have a point,” Marcus said, coming to stand on Pato’s other side, “But we have an offer for you.”
“I’m not gonna be your third.”
“That’s not what we’re asking.”
“It’s about Stone Cold,” Callum immediately cleared up, sending Pato a side-eye.
“Ok, I’m listening,” Pato dragged as the three drivers moved into a less busy part of the paddock.
When you finished the race, you were pleased with your placing. It was your first top-five of the season, and with it being so early in the season, you only expected to get more comfortable as the season went on.
You finished up post-race media, and you were ready to slip out of the paddock unnoticed. It was a talent you knew well, and somehow, the media could never figure out how you did it.
You made it to the Prema trailer, ready to change out of your team kit into something more discrete and comfortable, when you saw a figure leaning against the door. It didn’t take you long to recognize the bright orange as an Arrow McLaren kit, and it took only a second longer to identify the figure as Pato.
“Congrats on your win,” You commended as you passed him. He promptly followed behind you as you went through the trailer, stopping just outside of your driver’s room. “Can I help you?”
“Do you have plans later? The guys were planning to go bar hopping, but I want to head back to the hotel,” Pato explained quickly before looking at the plain look on your face. “You’re busy?”
“I never said that,” You replied dryly. Pato’s eye widened, but he didn’t know where to go with this, so you took it to continue. “I thought about getting takeaway and watching the Formula 1 replay.”
“Oh, that sounds fun!” Pato perked up, “What kind of takeaway are you craving?”
“I don’t know,” You shrugged as your face scrunched up, “Chinese?”
“I like Chinese,” Pato agreed before deciding this was his time to shoot his shot, “Do you want to catch a ride with us and they can drop us off at the hotel?”
“I actually have a car rented,” You answered, “If you want to meet me at the hotel, I can pick up the food, and we can watch the race in my hotel room.”
“Oh my god,” You heard through the wall before someone banged against the wall. “He’s asking you out!”
Your eyes moved to meet Pato’s nervous gaze as he offered you a small smile.
“Really?” You questioned, and Pato reacted with a quick nod. “In that case, you can ride with me.”
Later that night as you watched the podium celebration for the Formula 1 race, you sat in a comfortable silence with Pato until he sighed, drawing your attention away from the screen.
“I just have a couple questions,” Pato started.
“They crossed the line first, second and third. Does that answer your question?” You responded, turning your body to face him on the bed.
“What…” Pato trailed off before chuckling to himself for a second. “Thank you for that information.”
“Anytime,” You smiled, “Proceed with your actual questions.”
“One, if Callum and Marcus didn’t tell you yet, I really like you,” Pato started, “Can we do this again?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure there’s another race next week. Maybe not Chinese again, but I liked this. It was fun.”
“Not this specifically,” Pato broke it down even more. “You and me doing something. Maybe dinner or something.”
“Oh,” Your face dropped for a second before coming back with a huge smile, “I’d like that too.”
“Cool.”
“Cool. What was your other question?”
“Why do you have your own car?” Pato couldn’t help himself. “As far as I know, each team only funds one car for the drivers, and they all have to share it.”
“I fund my own rental,” You replied as if it were common sense. “I like having escape plans, and if I wanna leave, I can leave.”
“That’s gonna come in handy,” Pato trailed off with a smirk.
“Why would you say that?”
“No reason.”
A few races later, you and Pato walked hand-in-hand into the paddock for the Indy 500. Boy, was that unexpected. Not only did the media never see you walk into the track, but this time you were walking in with someone. Someone who was very prominent for grand entrances.
“Looks like Stone Cold has finally thawed,” Callum teased as he and Marcus met up with the two of you just before your first interviews of the day. “How do you feel?’
“Like there are too many people looking at me,” You admitted quietly, squeezing Pato’s tighter as you looked around at all of the cameras pointed at the four of you. The glasses on your nose did nothing to block who you were looking at. “I just wanna get in the car.”
“Hate to break it to you, but we don’t get in the car today,” Marcus said with a mock pout, bumping into Pato’s side. “Maybe Pato can hide you somewhere.”
“They do have their own car for a reason.”
“Quick getaways, not what you are thinking,” You immediately clarified, pointing at Callum and Marcus. “I learned that this is a sexual innuendo.”
in which: pato returns home from California, and is in real need of a good hug.
pairing: Pato Oward x reader
super duper short blurb!🙈 I’m so happy for Alex but seeing Pato lose the win was painful 😖
Pato wasn’t expected home for another few hours.
The television was on in the background, playing a sitcom you had already seen numerous times before. You sat along the length of the couch, legs extended while you scrolled through your socials, only half paying attention to the screen.
The front door creaked open behind you, causing you a fright.
You eased when you saw it was just Pato, a soft smile making its way to your face. “Hey chick,” you teased.
He only managed a strained smile.
You frowned. “Don’t be disappointed. It was a strong weekend for you.” You encouraged. But you understood why he would be disappointed. Pole. Led for 51 laps. Palou was just quicker, to no fault of Pato.
Pato dropped his bags near the door, his head down as he neared you.
A hug was expected, but not to the extent that he took it. He was careful not to hurt you as he laid his body on top of yours. His head found its place on your stomach as he wrapped his arms around your middle. His lips had sunken into a small, but noticeable, pout.
“I had it.” Was all he said, but you understood.
Your fingers threaded through his the strands of his thick, brown hair. “I know, love.”
His arms tightened around you and he dug his head into your stomach.
“Can I do anything for you?” You asked.
He squeezed you a little harder and shook his head.
And sometime within the next few minutes, his breathing had evened out, his face relaxed, and his grip around you loosened. Lulled to sleep in the comfort of your presence, by your fingers weaving through his hair.