Summary: When the invitation for your cousin’s wedding arrives, and you see that bold ‘+1’ you sigh, remembering the white lie you had told her about seeing someone. You realise that you’re not getting out of it and that you’re going to have to figure something out…
Warnings: None
Word Count: ~845 Words
Author's Note: Here it is! There's more to come and I know it's short, I've just been super busy with work and some family things. But rest assured more is on the way!!
“No, absolutely fucking not.” He says, staring you down as though you had grown a second head.
You sigh. “Please. I’m begging you, Ted already said no!” You look over at him, his brow is furrowed and he’s leaning forward, hands clasped together as he stares right back at him.
He raises an eyebrow at that though. “You asked Ted first?”
Head cocked to the side, you give him a confused expression in response.
A moment of silence weighs heavily between you. You aren’t quite sure if he’s offended that you asked Ted before him. Your eyes plead with him silently, fingers crossed on top of your lap.
“I’ll pay for everything?” You offer. A desperate last offer. “Flights, accommodation, drinks, food. Literally everything.”
He rolls his eyes, leaning back into the couch, a loud sigh escaping his lips. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Why did you tell them you had a boyfriend when you didn’t?” He asks you at the airport and you have to try and not let your cheeks flush in embarrassment.
“I just didn’t know what to say when they asked me about a plus one. I panicked.” You explain.
“Right.” He says, not fully convinced. “So, because you were put on the spot, you lied?”
When he glances over at you, you’re looking extremely unimpressed. “I never claimed it was a good idea.”
He chuckles, slipping his headphones back on and shaking his head.
On the flight, you give him a full rundown on the family, and the friends. Essentially anyone who he should already know. You work on a game plan. The closer you get to your destination, the more nervous you become.
“Anything off limits?” You ask. “Any boundaries?”
“Boundaries?” He raises an eyebrow. “Whaddya mean?”
“I mean, like no kissing, no hand-holding. Any names or anything like that?” You explain yourself.
“Oh, no. I don’t think so.“ He shrugs. “Maybe kissing would make things a little weird.” He says.
You nod, understanding fully. “Kissing is off the table.”
The flight is smooth, thank goodness. And you land safely in the airport. As you make your way to the car hire centre, you notice Schlatt making an extra effort to walk closer to you than usual, your arms brushing often, occasionally even feeling his knuckles gently tap yours as you walk side by side. You choose not to think anything of it.
Once in the car, you make your way to the hotel. Schlatt drives, letting you sit in your nerves in the passenger seat, unsure if it’s making it easier or worse.
Your knee bounces involuntarily, eyes trailing across the constantly moving landscape in an attempt to distract yourself. For a while, you don’t notice Schlatt’s hand resting on your knee, the bouncing immediately coming to a halt.
You turn to look at him, eyebrows furrowing. His other hand is draped lazily on the wheel as he glances back at you for a moment. “I don’t know why you’re so nervous, they’re your family.” He says after a few moments of heavy silence.
“My family that I’m about to lie to constantly for 3 days straight. And I’m a terrible liar.” You note.
“Eh,” he shrugs, like it’s nothing. “People have lied about worse. And it’s okay, I’m a pretty good liar, so we balance each other out.” He gives your knee a squeeze and you pretend not to notice.
Pulling up to the hotel, you notice how grand it is. You’re glad, because it had cost a lot of fucking money.
You both walk into the hotel lobby, Schlatt takes all the bags because ‘that’s the boyfriend’s job’. You roll your eyes in response.
“I’m so sorry, there has been a mix-up with our bookings.” The receptionist says when you reach the desk to book in. Frowning, Schlatt looks at you.
“So, what does that mean?” You ask, eyebrows furrowing.
“The system double booked all of our twin rooms, we have executive rooms available which we can offer to you for no extra price.” She offers, sheepishly smiling up at you. She looks like she’s had a long day, you can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.
You sigh softly, brushing your hair from your face. “An executive room will be fine.” You nod, giving her a sympathetic smile.
You check into your new room, taking the keys and silently, Schlatt and yourself make your way up. You hadn’t heard of an executive room but it sounds fancy.
But as you step into the room, you realise why Schlatt has been so quiet. The room, despite being absolutely gorgeous, only has one bed.
He turns to you, putting the bags down as the door clicks closed. “So, how do you want to do this?” He asks, raising an eyebrow at you.
Summary: You guys are getting ready and then make you way to your cousin's wedding!
Warnings: Jealousy
Word Count: ~1100
Author's Note: There's probably a chapter or two of this left. I'll be honest with y'all this isn't my best work but I'm tryin I'm tryin!!!
MASTERLIST WITH ALL OTHER PARTS HERE
“Do I look stupid?”
“What?”
“I said, do I look stupid?”
You turn around, looking Schlatt over as he stands in front of you, he’s brushing off his thighs in a navy suit, neat pocket-square in the top pocket. You roll your eyes at him as you turn back around. “You look fine.” You tell him with a small chuckle.
He sighs, sitting down on the edge of the bed as he looks over at you through the mirror. “I need to make a good impression, fake relationship or not, I can’t look like a chump in front of your family.”
You scoff out another laugh. “You don’t look like a chump, Jay. You look great.” You say with a small smile, he offers you a smile back before sitting back in the bed and pulling out his phone.
A little while later and you’re stepping out of the bathroom, brushing down your outfit nervously. His eyes trail up your body slowly, it’s noticeable. You watch him carefully, taking in his reaction, unsure on what he’s going to say.
Oh God, you look stupid. Oh God, he’s going to refuse to go with you and you’re going to look like an idiot in front of everyone. Oh God, this is so stupid. This was such a stupid idea. Fuck, fuck fuck, fuckfuckfu-
You wipe your palms on your legs, over your clothes, looking down. You hear him take a sharp intake of breath and as you look up he coughs. You quirk up an eyebrow in response as he recovers.
“Sorry, uh- you… you look amazing.” He says, his voice is shaky, like he’s surprised.
You look back up to meet his eyes. “I don’t know whether to be insulted about how shocked you sound by that.”
The tension breaks almost immediately. Thank God. He laughs, running his fingers through his hair and rolling his eyes at you. “Just surprised you scrub up so well.” He teases.
“Whatever.” You laugh in response.
“Right, so let’s go over it agai-”
“We do not need to go over it again.”
You give Schlatt a pointed look from the other side of the Uber. He rolls his eyes back at you, letting his hand stretch over to give your knee a squeeze. You try to control your jitters as his fingers brush over the bare skin but you can tell he’s noticed.
He lets out a small sigh, looking up at you. “We started dating November 14th. We were seeing each other a little bit before that.” He starts, going through the motions to settle your nerves. “We’re gonna be fine. No one will figure it out.” He says, a small chuckle escaping his lips as he speaks.
You let out a small huff as you approach the venue. Thanking the Uber driver, Schlatt slips out the car and spins around to open the door for you before you even realise what’s happening. He offers out his hand for you, a small smirk playing on his lips as you take his hand and get out of the car.
“Thank you.” You murmur quietly, smiling up at him as you do so. Somehow, your anxiousness dissolves as you feel his fingers brush against yours.
He smiles back down at you, letting his hand snake around your waist. “No worries, sweetheart.” His tone is teasing and you roll your eyes. He pulls you closer, bodies almost pressed together and your mouth has gone dry.
“Okay, no one is going to believe that.” You laugh back at him.
He opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by your mother calling out to you. “Oh, you two look wonderful! Get over here!” She beckons you over and duty calls so you head towards her, but not without feeling Schlatt’s hand slip into yours, fingers intertwining.
“Hey mum, hey dad.” You greet them both. “How’s it going? Set up all okay?”
“Oh, it’s absolutely beautiful in there. I just wish you were getting married soon.” Your mother gushes. Your mum pulls you in for a hug, making you already reluctantly pull your hand from Schlatt’s. “I need to see you in that dress, walking down the aisle.”
But as soon as you pull back, his hands are on you again, gently brushing against the small of your back. He has taken this thing into overdrive. Immediately, call it insecurity or whatever you’d like, you feel your eyes searching for Alyssa, wondering if she’s around to attempt and sink her teeth into your boyfriend. Well, fake-boyfriend.
That’s when you spot her, making a bee-line for you two and your parents. Her dress is garish, brightly coloured and very tight. You take a deep breath and feel Schlatt’s hand squeeze your hip. Your parents have disappeared to god-knows-where to talk to god-knows-who.
“Oh my god, hey guys! So lovely to see you both.” Alyssa says, pulling you into a hug quickly before turning to Schlatt and wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a significantly tighter hug. You know what she’s doing, pressing herself against him in a way she thinks is subtle. You can see his eyes widen for a second when she lingers, his eyes looking to you for help. You snort, covering it up as a cough as she pulls away from him and shoots you a confused look.
“Sorry, uhm… allergies.” You tell her, fake-coughing again. But you seem to have sold it.
She looks you up and down and takes a step away like you are going to infect her. “Anyway, I’ll see you inside!” She says, looking at Schlatt up and down, just like she did in the bowling alley.
You try your best to not scowl, spinning on your heel to face Schlatt as he looks back down at you with a smirk. You don’t look impressed. “What?” He laughs.
“She’s flirting with you.” You mutter.
He stares at you for a moment, analysing your expression. “Are you… jealous?” He says, one of his eyebrows raised.
Your answer comes much too quick. “No.”
He laughs again. “Hey, you’re the only one for me. Alright? Don’t worry about her.”
You huff, rolling your eyes. “She stole my boyfriend in high school. I have no doubt she’s back for round two.”
“I just told you, you’re the only one for me, alright?”
You look back at him for a moment, and for the first time since getting here, you’re not quite sure if this is part of the lie or not.
Summary: you have some pretty big shoes to fill in the event of someone having to take a break from work and it has some unexpected consequences
Warning: sexual themes, alcohol consumption, kissing
Word Count: ~2000
Author's Note: Here we go!
Masterlist with previous parts here!
If avoiding Ted was to become a sport, you’d be a world-class athlete. The next couple races have been and gone and it’s looking good for both drivers on the Ferrari team, you couldn’t ruin that. But it’s at the China Grand Prix that he gets the better of you and finally corners you just before you head to the track for the race.
“You’ve been avoiding me. C’mon, the sex really wasn’t that bad. Was it?” He asks. His hair is wet after spending a few hours in that helmet and he looks delicious.
You laugh nervously, leaning against the wall of the conference room. “No, no.” You say, blindsided by his sudden appearance in front of you. “I’ve just been busy.”
He frowns. “Too busy to just spend a little time with me?” He says, hand coming up to brush some hair from your face. “Come see me tonight?”
“Maybe… I don’t know…” Your eyes wander anywhere but where he is, accidentally catching Schlatt’s gaze from across the room, he’s talking to David and he looks tense. His jaw is clenched and eyes hard as he stares you down.
You can’t help but shift uncomfortably where you’re standing as you look back to Ted who has his eyebrows raised expectantly.
You hear a phone ring from across the room and it grabs your attention, giving you the opportunity to take the heated gaze from Ted away from you and not give him an actual answer.
David excuses himself before rushing off and leaving the room. “Sorry, Ted. I have to go.” You say quickly, the words coming out nonsensical as you push yourself off the wall and rush out to find David.
“Yeah, no. I understand.” David mutters into the phone. “How long do I have?”
You frown, looking at him from the doorway.
“Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you.” David sighs, before ending the call and stuffing the phone into his pocket and pinching the bridge of his nose.
You give him a moment before speaking. “Is everything okay?”
“Just the person I wanted to see, actually.” David says, eyes opening when he realises you’re standing there. “Please don’t panic.”
“That’s what someone says before they say something that is going to make me panic.” You respond, clutching that notebook. It’s looking a lot more frayed as you have continued to take notes through the weeks.
He sighs, nodding. “Yeah, I can’t lie to you. I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve been acting strangely.” You nod. “My father’s sick, really sick. I need to go home. Now.”
“But, the race? It starts in a few hours.” You say, not that it should be a priority. “Is there someone that could sub in for you?”
He looks at you pointedly, wondering how you haven’t put the dots together yet. “I was hoping you could sub in for me.” He tells you, his voice earnest. You shake your head immediately.
“No, I can’t. Is there no one else? Could Tucker not take over both radios?” You suggest, a fruitless attempt.
“You know that’s not going to work. You’re the best trainee. You know what you’re doing.” David tells you, placing his hands on your shoulder. “I trust you, okay?”
You take a deep breath through your nose, trying to ease the pounding in your chest as you stare up at the man ahead of you. “Okay.”
“I have to go. I’ll be watching on the flight. You’ve got this.” He gives you a small smile and a gentle squeeze of your shoulders. You nod up at him, giving him a nervous smile.
David rushes off almost immediately, leaving you standing alone in the corridor, or so you thought.
“Where’s he goin’?” Schlatt asks from behind you, making you jolt and your hand comes up to your chest with the shock. He can’t help but chuckle at the fact he made you jump. “Sorry.”
I exhale deeply through your nose, your heart rate slowly returning back to a regular pace. “It’s fine. I, uh-...” You pause for a moment. “David… he… has to go.”
“What do you mean ‘has to go’? The race is in 3 hours.” He says, his eyebrows furrow and he stands a little taller.
You pause, looking up at him with a feared look. “He’s getting a flight, his father is sick.”
“So, who’s running my radio?” He asks, eyebrows still furrowed and arms crossing over his chest. He stares at you for a long time, analysing you almost. When you don’t respond, the pieces click together almost instantaneously. “No.” He shakes his head. “No fuckin’ way!”
You sigh, running your fingers through your hair. “David has asked me to do it, I’ve been training with him for weeks, I’ve been watching you race with him for weeks. Would you rather someone who doesn’t know-”
“Don’t pretend you know me. You hardly know me at all.” He glares down at you.
You sigh again. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, Schlatt. This isn’t exactly ideal for me either.”
He looks at you for a long moment again, arms still folded over his chest. “If you cost me this race, I will make sure it ends your career.” He then stalks off.
A couple hours later, you’re sitting at the pit wall, shaking like a goddamn leaf. Tucker gives you a sympathetic smile. Now the whole team has been briefed on your situation, they’re being much kinder to you, offering you a helping hand if you need it. But the adrenaline is kicking in and you’re determined to prove to Schlatt that you know what you’re doing.
“Alright Schlatt, you’re pole again so this should be an easy one, yeah?” You say, more just to test the radio is even working.
You hear a grumble through the headset but not much else, you roll your eyes. “Don’t be a baby.” You mutter back. “It’s gonna be an easy race.”
“Whatever.” He says back and you pinch the bridge of your nose. You’re already taking the mannerisms of David whilst sitting in his chair, like it’s meant to be.
The race begins and as predicted by you it’s going well. Apart from two thirds of the way, Schlatt struggles to keep his grip on the road.
“You need to pit and change your tires.” You tell him, chewing on the end of your pen and looking down at your notes.
You watch the cars as they fly past the pit wall before looking back up at the screen, waiting for him to reply. “I’m not changing my tires. These are fine.”
“You’re losing grip. We need to change to soft, just for the last few laps.” You tell him again and he practically groans through the radio. “Listen, I’m making the calls here and you’re changing your bloody tires.”
“I swear to god if you’re wrong-”
“I’m not. Now pit this lap.”
He wins the race. It was a close call but of course he won the race.
“Let’s fucking go!” You cheer into the radio.
You hear his deep laugh through the headset. “Holy shit, we did it.”
We did it. That felt good.
Your choice to change tires last minute doesn’t go unnoticed as Eduardo runs over and wraps you in the tightest hug you’ve ever felt, he practically lifts you off your feet.
“You genius!” He cheers. “Quick thinking.”
He lets you go and you can’t help but smile as the rest of the team cheers around you. Ted comes third, meaning both the Ferrari drivers make it to the podium so no one is leaving unhappy today.
As Schlatt and Ted make their way up to the podium, you can’t wipe the grin off your face, standing up and watching them both.
This after-party is probably the messiest one so far. Even Schlatt is having a few drinks this time, though he hasn’t spoken to you once at all. In fact, the only interaction you two have had since the race is a couple of glances across the room. But you don’t let that ruin your night.
The music is thumping and the drinks are flowing, people keep buying you drinks in congratulations and Jesus, you are feeling it now. You check your phone a couple times and notice David has text you.
David [23:04]
Knew you could do it, kid. Good call on the tires, proud of you
You [23:06]
David!!! Couldn’t jave don it wuthot you. Hipe your dad is okat!!!!
David [23:07]
I see the celebrations are well underway. He’s doing well. But don’t worry about that, enjoy yourself :)
You smile as you put your phone back in your pocket, leaning against the bar and stirring your drink with your straw.
“What’re you smiling about?” Ted asks, and you look up at the sudden noise.
You laugh, body swaying subtly as you look up at him. “Just David. His Dad is doing okay. Said he was proud.”
“I would be if I was him. Getting a man as stubborn as Schlatt to listen to you is no easy feat.” Ted chuckles. “You want a drink?”
You shake your head, raising your glass up. “I’m all fueled up, thanks.” You say. “Sorry about… earlier.”
He shakes his head, chuckling. “It’s no hard feelings. But, if you ever change your mind.” He wiggles his eyebrows, leaning forward. You roll your eyes, laughing.
The party continues into the early hours of the morning, you can’t help but keep searching for one particular person in the crowd, but he’s nowhere to be seen half the night, like he’s avoiding you.
In an attempt to make your departure back to your room, you stumble towards the elevators. But one slip of the ankle and you’re hurtling towards the floor. You brace yourself for impact but it never comes, and that’s when you realise a rather large arm is gripping your waist, stopping you from hitting the floor.
“Glad to know I’m not the drunkest here.” He slurs, slowly removing his arm from you. Schlatt, finally.
You blush a little, brushing your hair back as you use your other hand against the wall to stabilise yourself. “Had to celebrate my first winning race as a performance engineer, didn’t I? Even if it’s only temporary.”
You both walk towards the elevator, and as you step inside you lean against the handrail, looking back up at him with glazed eyes. He leans on the other one, standing opposite you. His body is swaying almost as much as yours is.
“I’m sorry.” He says as soon the doors closed. “For giving you a hard time. You did good.”
“Pardon?” You say, raising an eyebrow.
“I said you did good. Did you not hear me?” His eyebrows furrow in annoyance.
You smile. “No, I heard you. Just wanted to hear you compliment me again.” Your smile turns into a smirk.
He rolls his eyes at you, scoffing. “And I wanted to thank you.” He continues. He grimaces, like the words were paining him to say. “I was wrong about the tyres.”
“You were what?” Your smirk grows.
“I was wrong.” He sighs, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
You chuckle, looking up at him pensively. “One more time.”
“Will you shut up? I’m trying to be nice.” He groans, rubbing his temples.
“Make me.”
He looks up, raising an eyebrow at you. “What?”
“If you want me to shut up. Make me.” Now it’s his turn to smirk.
It’s like a switch flips inside him and suddenly his hands are cupping your face as he presses his lips against yours desperately. Your hands rest on his arms as his fingers thread through your hair. But it’s over as soon as it begins as you hear the elevator chime and the doors open. He pulls away from you quickly, lips swollen and chest heaving.
You both stare at each other for a moment, standing just a foot apart from each other, seconds feeling like hours as you just watch him and he watches you. Both of you seem to be having the same eternal battle.
Summary: you work in a bar and a man who feels like shadow surrounds him captures your attention
Warnings: you work in a bar, vomit mention, drunk people being assholes, smoking
Word Count: -1040
Author's Note: she's a slow burner but i am living for this version of schlatt hehe
”I sensed you before I saw you."
Hades to Persephone, Nikita Gill, 2019
You didn’t think you’d spend your twenties working in a bar, but school is expensive, and this job pays the bills.
Pour drinks. Fill the ice. Clean someone else’s vomit from the bathroom floor. Accept shitty tips from creepy men. Every little helps.
At least the place looks like something from an 80s movie, and that’s something you can get down with. The bright shine of neon signs illuminate the room, making it difficult to decipher what part of the floor has or hasn’t been stained from years of drink spillage and you hate to think what else. Years and years of old coasters, concert posters, knick-knacks adorn the walls.
There’s a shitty piece of graffiti sprayed along the wall behind the bar. One of your locals, an old man by the name of Bernie, has been trying to convince you it’s a real Banksy since you started. You’re not quite inclined to believe him, yet.
“Oi, you!” Your eyes snap to the lovely gentleman at the bar, waving a twenty-dollar note in your face. “Two whiskeys.”
“That’s twenty-two.” You respond, going to grab the house whiskey from the back bar.
The man’s face twists, anger laced through every inch of his features. “That’s daylight fuckin’ robbery! Twenty-two dollars!?” His wrinkles make him look like a caricature. Clearly he hasn’t had a drink in New York for a few years if he thinks that this is one of the expensive bars.
You roll your eyes. “More like nighttime robbery, it’s like eleven thirty. Do you want your drinks or not?”
The man opens his mouth to speak, let rip on how New York is a shit-hole these days. You prep yourself for a barrage of insults but another hand slaps down on the bar, pushing a matte black card across the bar. “Just add it to my tab.” The mystery man says as you turn your eyes to him instead. He’s dressed in all black, clothes all well-tailored. Dress pants, smart jacket, turtle neck. This guy had money. What on earth is a man like that doing in a place like this?
“You sure?” You ask him, a single eyebrow raised, unable to make many of his features out in the dim lighting of the bar but he simply nods.
You finish pouring the drinks and turn to your till to process the card. When you turn to face the customers again, only the smart-dressed man remains. Your eyebrows furrow in search of the one you served drinks to but he’s already lost in the sea of your many drunk patrons.
“Oh,” You murmur. “You scare him off?”
“Somethin’ like that.” The man responds. “I’ll take a whiskey. The good stuff.”
You smirk. “The good stuff, huh?”
His face doesn’t change, staring at you like you were reciting a phone book, instead of attempting playful banter. The kind that usually got you a good tip. You push down the foreboding feeling that washes over you as you reach up to the top shelf for the most expensive whiskey in the building and pour him a glass with ice. It smells good, not a whiskey drinker yourself but you know this is the good shit. Exactly what he asked for.
His face is barely highlighted in the red-tinted glow. His eyes looking almost entirely black. Probably just the lighting, sure. But there’s something about him. It’s like his presence is pulling light from the room. And yet, you couldn’t deny there is a certain attraction to it. The display of a closed book that in your mind you just need to pry open. But hey, you’re a professional. No flirting on the job.
You pass it over and he nods back at you, before taking his drink and walking away.
You spend the next hour or so trying to find the guy and catch his eye but he’s nowhere to be seen.
The music keeps booming and you keep working, your feet are burning and the lights are starting to give you a headache. You’re already dreaming of curling up in bed and sleeping until the sun rises. But alas, money doesn’t magically appear in your bank account every month, someone’s gotta make it happen. You sigh, wiping your brow after mopping up what feels like the millionth dropped beer of the night and announce to your boss you’re going for a break. Without waiting for a reply, you push open the door to the back and step into the cool late-winter air.
You pull a cigarette from your pocket and search for your light. You could have sworn you had it not even 10 minutes ago…
A scratching sound catches your attention and before you can piece it together, a small orange flame has appeared in front of you. And with it, the man from before, holding a lighter to the end of your cigarette. Where the fuck had he come from?
You accept the light, taking a drag before fully turning your attention to him. You thought you’d be able to see him better outside but the streetlight doesn’t help much to illuminate his features. “You’re not supposed to be back here, it’s staff only.” You tell him, though your voice lacks conviction.
“Don’t pretend you care.” He murmurs back at you, leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest. “Your mommy never tell you it’s unhealthy to smoke?”
“Don’t pretend you care.” You retort back at him. “How do you end up coming to a shithole like this?”
He thinks on it for a moment, the only noise being the occasional burn as you take a drag from your cigarette and the bass of the music inside. He looks you over, from the top of your head down to your shoes.
“I was asking myself the same thing.” He responds. “Let’s just say, I had a feeling I’d find something worth coming in for.”
Your eyebrows furrow again. “The fuck does that mean?” You scoff, stubbing out your cigarette on the wall and tossing it to the floor.
He shrugs, smirking. “I guess we’ll find out. See you around, toots.”
Before you have a chance to respond, he’s walking away.
Summary: You're a trainee Race Engineer for Ferrari, working closely behind the engineer who works for Jay Schlatt, the youngest driver to ever win a Grand Prix. He's one of the famous people in the sport to date and now you get to watch his work every day. Chaos ensues.
Warnings: none
Word Count: ~1500
Author's Note: Here we go!! I want to preface by saying that I don't know all the ins and outs of F1 so don't expect it to be too accurate. I just like fast cars and Schlatt. Also, this is definitely gonna be a series because I already have so many ideas and I really enjoyed writing this. Have fun!!
You scramble to the paddock, first day on the job jitters evident as you scurried through the corridors of the Fiorano Circuit. To say you are terrified is an understatement.
You make it as the team starts briefing, eyes scanning the room as you notice a few familiar faces, some engineers you met during your interviews for this position and some from watching races yourselves.
That’s when you spot them, two gentlemen sat in the front of the crowd. You knew them, of course you knew them. The drivers and the faces of your team for the foreseeable future. Ted Nivision, a new transfer from McLaren, and Jay Schlatt.
Both great drivers, but you can’t help but let your eyes linger on the latter for a little longer. The man is a legend, youngest driver to win a Grand Prix and he has been a force to be reckoned with ever since. He glances up, taking in the team. He notices you, he hasn’t seen you before, his eyes trace over your body before reaching your eyes, you immediately looking away, cheeks flushing a bright red.
Your team principal, Eduardo, claps at the front of the crowd, everyone begins to quieten down. “Alright everyone, it’s gonna be an exciting season for us! First, I’d like to welcome Ted as our newest driver.” Everyone gives a quiet whoop or cheer as Ted turns and waves, giving everyone a small smile. “And (Y/N), trainee performance engineer, you’ll be seeing them around a lot as they learn the ropes.” The cheer isn’t as loud, not that you expected it to be, but everyone seems to welcome you with theoretical open arms.
But the only person that seems to catch your attention is once again, Schlatt. He turns fully around to get a good look at you as some are welcoming you to the team and you respond with a couple of quiet ‘thank you’s.
He turns back before you notice, but he makes a mental note to keep an eye on you. His main concern is you’re new, inexperienced, what makes you so good that you deserve a spot in one of the biggest motorsport teams in the world?
The meeting continues, briefings on the practise session and overall general game plans for the season ahead, you are taking down notes, scribbling away in a notepad with a shiny ballpoint pen. Schlatt can’t help but take a couple more peaks at you but you don’t even seem to notice.
When the brief ends, you follow behind the race engineer, David, as he heads over to meet with the Team Principal. You close your notebook and trail behind him.
“Ah, David.” Eduardo starts, patting David on the arm and he nods firmly in response. “David is your new race engineer, Schlatt.”
Schlatt frowns, clearly still upset that his previous race engineer has left the team. “Sure.” He says, not quite looking David in the eyes.
“And (Y/N) is his trainee, so you’ll be seeing them around a lot too. Play nice, alright?” Eduardo warns with a raised eyebrow.
You wonder what he means by that but soon Eduardo has left, patting Schlatt on the back as he does so.
“So, trainee. You nervous?” Schlatt asks, leaning against the nearby wall, his racing suit hanging on his hips, you struggle to not let your eyes trail down.
You hum for a moment, clutching onto your notebook so tightly that your knuckles are going white. You’re standing in front of one of the most famous drivers in the sport’s history and he’s talking to you. “A little.” You respond. “Are you?”
“Nah,” he chuckles. “No point being nervous, we’ve got a good season ahead of us. I know it.”
You tap your pen nervously on your lips, his eyes follow it for a moment, distracted. “I hope so.” You respond. “I look forward to seeing you on the track.”
“I look forward to seeing you watching.” He responds, a small smirk tugging on his lips.
“Hey, Schlatt! We gotta go.” Ted calls from across the room and Schlatt’s attention is immediately pulled away from you.
He heads off, retreating into a different room, presumably to get ready for their practice session with the new cars. You can’t help but feel a little disappointed that you didn’t get to talk to him more, but he’s a sought after man, you can’t expect him to want to talk to you too. Though, little did you know, he’s thinking the exact same thing.
“Alright, though it’ll be a little while until you need to know how all this works, there’s no harm in showing you now.” David, your mentor, says. He points to the buttons on the desk ahead of you. “Grab that headset.”
He points to a headset just ahead of you, you pick it up and slide it over your ears, taking one side of it and pushing it back so you can still hear David explaining to you.
“Up there is the stats for the car, you can get more in-depth stuff on the monitors on the desk though.” He points to the screen above you. “Our main job is to communicate with the driver about his needs and make sure he’s all doing okay. Most of the time, other engineers will communicate the needs of the car to you. It makes more sense in action.” He chuckles and you laugh with him.
You have done your research, you knew all of this already but you aren’t going to tell him that. You just nod along, making some notes if and when you felt necessary.
Soon, you’re gearing up for the practice session is about to start, you can hear the buzz of the team around you. Your job for this is to simply watch and listen, so you do just that. You have the honour of being able to hear the team radio though, so you sit forward, noticing the cars pull out onto the track.
“Alright, Schlatt, new car, new season. Take it easy today, yeah?” David says, eyes tracing the screens.
You hear a deep chuckle vibrating through your headset. “C’mon David, you’re gonna put me in a brand new car and then tell me to take it easy?”
David pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. “It’s a practice, not a race, alright?”
“Loud and clear, cap.” Schlatt says, foot on the acceleration. You look up, seeing the numbers on the screen starting to increase and decrease as the car begins to move.
The session goes well, the cars run the best that they ever have and the whole team seems satisfied with how it goes. You make your way down to the pits, following David to the car as Schlatt climbs out, grabbing a bottle of water from one of the pit team. He drinks from it like he’s been in a desert for 10 years.
David and yourself wait back for a moment, letting him unzip his suit and pulling his arms out, letting it hang on his hips once more. His hair is dripping with sweat and the tight undershirt clings to his body. You must admit, it’s difficult not to look.
“Good shit,” David says, clapping on Schlatt’s shoulder. Schlatt gives him a tired laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. He glances at you before looking back at your mentor.
“How were my lap times?” Schlatt asks, looking to David who just immediately turns to you.
You blush a little at being put on the spot, flicking through your notebook to find the lap times that you have scribbled down. Schlatt notices the pages filled with notes, particularly the lap time page, one number in which is circled.
“You got uh, a new personal best. 56.93 seconds.” You tell him, pointing at the page. “That puts you 3 from the world record for this track.” You say, tucking a piece of hair behind your hair.
“Thanks,” He says, giving you a small smile. “Anyway, I’ve gotta shower.” He tells you both, looking down at his sweaty clothed body.
“See you at the party?” David asks, raising his eyebrows.
“Maybe.” Schlatt shrugs. “Gotta show my face I suppose.” He heads out, jogging out the door towards the showers.
Exiting the pits, David and you head to the meeting rooms for the practise debrief session. There’s a lot of numbers thrown around and game tactics, you keep scratching your notes into your notebook. As the debrief comes to a close, you turn and are greeted with the face of Ted Nivison himself.
“I must say, I’m kinda gutted you’re being mentored by Schlatt’s engineer. Would be nice to hear your voice every day.” He says, leaning against the table.
You blush, looking down at the floor. “I, uh, I don’t get to use the radios myself.” You tell him. Is he flirting with you right now?
“That’s a shame. You coming to the party?” He asks, smirking down at you.
Something about his tall stature towering over you made you nervous, in a good way of course. It isn’t often you garner this sort of attention, and it definitely isn’t often that this attention comes from a literal celebrity.
You look back up at him, a sweet smile on your face. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Can’t wait.” He hums before spinning around and walking away without another word.
Summary: You and Schlatt meet the parents, go for lunch and then decide to do something with your evening together
Warnings: Stern parents & bullies
Word Count: ~1340
Author's Note: It's more filler I know but the good stuff is coming!!!!!
Part One and Two
“Darling! It’s so good to see you!” Your mother calls out when you climb out of the car to the fancy restaurant. “Feels like forever.”
“Hi Mum,” You chuckle nervously, accepting her hug.
“And who is this handsome devil…?” She asks, pulling away from you to let her eyes rake over Schlatt’s body.
Schlatt chuckles, holding his hand out to your mother. “I’m Jay,” he says. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Good things?” She asks, laughing as she pulls him into a hug instead.
“Only the best.” He responds.
She grins as she looks back at you, a silent look to you to tell you ‘he’s a good one’. You blush, unable to hide it. Schlatt looks up and notices before turning to your father.
“Nice to meet you, sir.” He says, holding his hand out once again. Your father accepts, shaking his hand firmly.
“No need for formalities, son. Nice to meet you too. Treating my kid well?” He asks, raising an eyebrow, not yet letting go of Schlatt’s hand.
“Of course,” Schlatt responds with a smile. “They’re an angel.”
Your father gives him a stern nod, pulling his hand away.
You all head inside, you feel a hand on the small of your back as you step foot into the restaurant. You turn your head and realise it’s Schlatt doing so. He raises an eyebrow, as though questioning if there’s an issue. You turn your attention back to the hostess, now with a gentle blush spread across your cheeks.
Sitting down at the table, you see Schlatt taking a seat beside you. You look nervous, and he wishes he could alleviate it.
You all chat, small talk that you wish you didn’t have to have. There’s questions you prepared for, of course. How did you meet? So, you’re one of those streamer things too?
But then there’s one question that hits you like a freight train, one you couldn’t have prepared for considering as far as your parents are aware, you’ve only been dating a couple months.
“So, you're serious about them, Jay?” Your dad asks, stern look as he pushes another fry into his mouth. “What’s your plan? Are you gonna propose?”
“Dad, c’mon that’s not-...” You try to interject, stop this line of questioning.
Schlatt places a hand on your leg under the table, it isn’t subtle. It’s intentional. “No, no. It’s okay.” He says, giving you a smile. “I am serious about them, sir. Obviously, it’s still early days, I don’t want to put words in their mouth and make assumptions but I care about them a lot. I definitely don’t see why I wouldn’t propose in the future.” He shrugs, giving your thigh a squeeze.
You blush, looking down at your meal. That felt very… real? You’ve gotta give the guy credit, the man is a good actor.
“Alright.” Your dad responds, not smiling but seemingly satisfied with Schlatt’s answer.
The rest of the meal is okay, the tension alleviated after your parents seem to approve of Schlatt, which is only half the battle you suppose.
When returning for the bathroom, you notice your dad and Schlatt having a hushed discussion, you furrow your eyebrows in confusion as you walk over. Oh God. They know. You’re gonna be humiliated.
Your father looks up as you approach. “Is everything okay?” You ask hesitantly.
“Your boyfriend just picked up the entire bill.” Your mother tells you, your father looks exasperatedly back up at you.
You look at Schlatt who just shrugs, like it’s no big deal at all. “Jay…” You sigh.
“I wanted to.” Schlatt tells you.
“Well, that’s very kind, Jay. Thank you.” Your mother says, as she picks up her coat. “We have to head off, picking up the flower arrangements for your cousin. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Your parents rush off, your father grumbling about the bill still as he leaves. You soon collect your bag and jacket as you and Schlatt head off also. You glance at him, the distance between you increasing as your parents drive out of the parking lot.
“You really didn’t have to do that, Jay.” You sigh, rolling your eyes. “I’ll venmo you the money when we get back to the hotel.”
He laughs back at you. “Don’t be ridiculous. I meant it, I wanted to pay.”
You pause your movements as you reach the car, leaning against the passenger side door. “I told you I’d pay for everything.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
You groan as you get into the car, throwing your bag into the back. “Anyway, we have the evening to ourselves. Anything you wanna do?”
“Heard there’s a bowling alley nearby.” He suggests, rolling his sleeves up before putting the car into gear. He says that like he didn’t look up things to do in the area, just as an excuse to spend more time with you.
You nod, getting comfortable in the seat. Though, you think about it for a moment. “We are in my hometown though.” You say, looking over. “We might see people that are going to be there tomorrow..”
“Okay, and?” He says, beginning to drive out the parking lot. He clearly isn’t getting it.
“So, we can’t just be friends if we go to the bowling alley.” You explain, voice slow as though you’re having to spell it out to him.
He chuckles, rubbing his chin with his free hand. “So, we’ve still gotta pretend that we’re a couple there, too?” You nod, feeling guilty. “That’s fine.”
You look at him, slightly confused. But you choose not to question it.
When you pull up to the bowling alley, Schlatt spins around and takes your hand in his. There’s no one around at the moment, but there might be, so you accept it.
Going inside, your mind is immediately cast back to being a teenager here. There wasn’t much to do when you were a kid so you spent many an evening in this exact bowling alley. It still smells the same.
Schlatt squeezes your hand as he pulls you to the reception. You follow him and stand quietly as he pays for a couple games.
“Oh my god, (Y/N)!” You hear a shriek from the other side of the room. Oh no. Oh god no, please. It’s Alyssa.
You pull your hand from Schlatt’s turning to face the shrieking woman running over. She envelops you in a hug, shit-eating grin across her face. “How are you? Are you here for Sarah’s wedding?” She asks, her voice is just as annoying as you remembered it being.
“Yeah,” You laugh nervously, tucking some hair behind your ear. Alyssa is a stark reminder of why you left your hometown, she was an awful bully back in the day. You just hope she lost some of her terrible tendencies from teenagehood in the past few years.
Schlatt wraps an arm around your waist, sensing your discomfort. “Hey, doll. We need to get to our lane.”
“You have a boyfriend?” Alyssa asks, eyes trailing over Schlatt as though she was looking at her next meal. So, she hasn’t changed a bit, then.
“This is Jay. Jay, this is Alyssa.” You introduce the two of them and she smiles, going in for a hug.
Schlatt reluctantly pulls his arm from you to accept her hug awkwardly. “Nice to meet you.” He says, though you can tell he doesn’t mean it.
She grins up at him as she pulls away. “See you tomorrow.” She purses her lips, voice low and sultry.
As she turns away, you can’t help but roll your eyes. “The fuck was that?” Schlatt laughs, almost in disbelief.
“That was Alyssa.” You groan. “And that was her flirting with you. I wouldn’t bother with her. At least wait until after the wedding if you want to.”
He looks at you with the most insulted look. “You serious?” He says, eyebrows raised. “Why would I want her when I have you, eh?”
Summary: Sharing the bed leads to an unexpected but definitely not unwelcome surprise. Then you and Schlatt prepare for lunch with the parents.
Warnings: None
Word Count: ~540
Author's Note: Surprise!! It's a shorter one but I wanted to get something up for the TIAAW enjoyers out there
PART ONE HERE
Surprisingly, it wasn’t as you thought it would be to share a bed with Schlatt. After fully unpacking, showering after your long haul flight, slowly snuggling into the sheets, you felt pretty comfortable. But now, in the silence, the space between you feels like a tightly tensioned wall.
You stare up at the ceiling, breathing levelled out, sheets pulled up to your chest. You can’t help but feel guilty for forcing him to come with you across the country and lie to all of your family.
“You okay?” You hear a quiet voice come from beside you, pulling you from your thoughts and forcing you to turn your head to look at him.
“Yeah, can’t sleep.” You say, eyes glancing over his face in the fluorescent light of the streetlamp streaming in from out the window.
He muses for a moment, just looking back at you. “Me neither.” He responds after a while.
You give him a small sympathetic smile, turning your head back up to the ceiling. “Hey,” he says after a moment of silence. “C’mere.”
Your eyebrows furrow as you glance back over at him, confused as to what he meant by that. Your questions are answered when you see him holding an arm open, inviting you to shuffle closer. You pause, unsure whether this is a good idea.
Fuck it.
You slide into his arms, one of his hands gently resting on your waist. You can’t see it now in the darkness but there’s a small smile on his face as your eyes close and somehow, you fall asleep the fastest you ever have, comfortable in his arms.
When you wake up, there’s a significantly large space in the bed, you frown as you realise that’s because Schlatt is absent. Although, the sound of the shower starting in the bathroom confirms your suspicions that he isn’t that far.
When he comes back out of the bathroom, sweatpants hanging on his hips and a blue t-shirt on he notices you awake in the bed. “Mornin’.” He greets you and you respond in tandem.
“Hey.” You say quietly. “Good shower?”
“Very good shower.” He chuckles, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
You groan quietly, rubbing your eyes. “Lunch with my parents, and my sister. They wanted to meet the mystery boyfriend.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Right, okay. You sound worried, should I be worried?”
You give him a stern look. “They are just a lot.”
“I’m sure I can handle it.” He laughs, before standing up to find some more appropriate clothes.
You both get ready, neither of you acknowledging the cuddling last night. When you’re showered and dressed, you look at Schlatt, body language displaying your nervousness.
“Do I look okay?” You ask, looking down at your outfit in general distaste for it, worried about your family scrutinising you.
He looks you over, confused as to what your problem is with how you look. “You look great, doll. What’s the problem?” He asks.
“Doll?” You say, raising an eyebrow as your eyes come back up to meet his.
He chuckles. “I’m meant to be your boyfriend, right?” he says, a small smirk playing on his lips. “Just thought I’d practise the part a little.”
Hi, can you do jschlatt headcannons based on the song too sweet by hosier, where schlatt thinks the readers too kind and innocent for him.
I love this idea so so much. These arent formatted the best because I am without my laptop rn but hope it isn’t too jarring. This is all I have right now but I might come back to this one day…….
I think I’ll take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You’re too sweet for me
- trying to convince Schlatt that a healthy sleep schedule is not just for nerds
- “please just stay in bed a little longer, baby…”
- Getting him up for an early flight is a NIGHTMARE
- He just can’t understand how you can be so energetic all the time
- Sometimes he can’t help but just watch you and wonder how someone like you has ended up with him when you’re both so different
- You just glow. He feels like shadow beside you
- But he kinda likes it in a way
- He loves the way you dote over him, how you look after him
- He is always giving you really cute nicknames. Sweetie, Cookie, Sugar, Sweetheart, Buttercup
- You’re so innocent but he loves it
- Sometimes he thinks maybe too innocent
- “I’m corrupting you, sweetheart.” He murmurs quietly, between short breaths whilst wrapped in the sheets.
