Mentions of past George/Lewis. Endgame George/Max.
Rated E. 8940 words. 2/3.
“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” -John Crosby
[…]
Still, he manages to corner his rookie just as they’re done filming content for Mercedes’ socials, cue cards scattered on a table, admins chatting quietly between themselves where they’ve gathered a few meters away.
“Kimi,” he calls, setting a hand on his shoulder, still broadening by the day. His thumb presses at Kimi’s neck, grazing the curls that have grown too long, which George has been teasing him about lately.
He watches as Kimi’s warm eyes turn to him, how his smile lingers for a second before it dims at whatever he finds on George’s face, schooled into something neutral, if a little nervous. Kimi is smart enough to pick up on shifts in discussions instantly. He’s quick at it, despite how innocent he looks. George has witnessed it before, how he goes from the funny trickster he’s come to know, to the focused prodigy the press spills ink about. He’s seen it during discussions with engineers, through serious talks with Toto, in interviews, or even in interactions with other drivers on the grid.
Kimi is smart.
It’s as annoyingly impressive as it is endearing.
“About last week,” he starts, choosing his words carefully, though his teammate stops him with a shake of his head before he can keep talking.
“It’s nothing! I should have kept going,” Kimi says, heat rising to his cheeks, dusting them a vibrant pink. “And I’m sorry about Max. I thought- I just thought it could help with my performance.”
It catches George off guard.
This isn’t the discussion he’d braced for. He’d somewhat expected Kimi to talk about his feelings, about this, the untold attachment between them, how it would possibly come to an end or to be rearranged at least- but of course, Kimi is set on performance. George grits his teeth.
Distantly, he recalls he might have used the very same words to Lewis once. Had this been how his own mentor had felt hearing the words? Shoving the thought away, he forces himself to answer.
“With your performance? What would he have done?” more than I do, he muses, but doesn’t voice it, cradling his pride.
“Well- I thought, if there were two of you, it would be even more, ah, challenging, you see? And I could learn more,” Kimi looks so earnest, eager. George finds it hard to do anything but sigh and pat his shoulder gently once, twice.
“I see,” he says. “Well, I’d have liked a heads-up. You know these are scheduled and planned. It’s important that they are. Though I know I haven’t been the best at communication.”
Kimi says nothing. For a few seconds, silence stretches between them, making George’s stomach drop.
There’s no use for words. The quiet agreement is enough.
But as cold as it makes him feel, it doesn’t last long. Kimi isn’t one to hold onto anger or resentment. In under a minute, he smiles again, the one grin that shows his sharp canines, the one grin George knows the media team can’t get enough of these days. He finds himself smiling back, albeit a little forced.
“Right– Well. Why Max?”
“He’s the best.” Kimi’s reply comes so quickly that it doesn’t leave any time for George to take it as an insult.
And it’s not. It can’t be. It’s not as if his teammate can’t have opinions- He doesn’t have to be the star Kimi orbits around.
He’s not Lewis.
There’s nothing but distant friendship between him and Kimi. He’s made sure to keep it that way, has made sure to keep a clear separation between their work and personal lives. So Kimi can have opinions about who the best racer is, and George should swallow it and digest it easily.
It’s good, in a way, that Kimi doesn’t idolize him. Still, it makes him purse his lips.
“He affects you, though,” he points out, in mild retaliation, thinking back on just how Kimi’s palm had picked up its rhythm when he’d seen Max. It’s a low blow, one Kimi takes with a slight hitch in his breath, averting his gaze, his blush creeping high on his cheekbones, and low along his throat, disappearing under his dark suit. George knows just what it must look like underneath, has seen it enough by now.
At least the kid doesn’t deny it, shrugging it off with ease.
“It makes it better for this, no? Harder, for training. I can handle it. I can improve.”
George’s jaw twitches. Briefly, his thumb presses in where it rests at the crook of Kimi’s shoulder, almost at his neck, where the fabric of his suit stops covering soft skin.
“I suppose it could help, yes,” he concedes.
What would he look like if he said no? George’s mind provides an image of Kimi going to the other rookies again, or worse, to Max, to complain about him. He sighs, letting go of his shoulder, taking his hand back, letting it drop at his side.
stupid brainstorming yap that's been rotating in my head for weeks it's just full of horny and cheating tropes LMFAO whatever don't read this of you're not into that kinda shit
just finished watching white lotus series and thinking of an f1 white lotus AU... im having so much thoughts because they're rich mfs ofc.. thinking which one of them dies tho in the most poetic way.. maybe ill add something to this post and rb when I've come up with something..
maybe the white lotus branch sets in italy cuz kimi insists to relax there.... the whole grid decides to have their summer break for a week there.. or maybe half of them only willing to go..
thinking of george going through a fallout from carmen and they're in the brink of divorce while max is just teasing and flirting with him and george is so fucking annoyed by it and in denial that he likes being wanted by max and he tries not to give in his temptation to cheat on carmen..
max is single but also suffering from fighting custody over lily from kelly 💀✌️
kimi also having a crush obsession on max too and has a one sided relationship with max because max views their relationship as student and mentor but then max gets surprised by kimis sexual advances on him later on as the week progresses 😁😁😁😁😁😁🤤🤤🤤🤤 now there would be a romantic conflict between rustappenelli YAYYYY!!! 😍😍😍😍😍
george would get a little jealous on how kimi is hoarding max's attention to him LMFAOOO and tries to break them apart whenever he gets the chance.. but later before the week ends, george gives in his temptation and wins max and then they have nasty sex 🤤🤤🤤 kimi accidentally sees them and walks away heartbroken 💔💔
then charlimi subplot where kimi runs away from what he just saw and accidentally stumbles on charles. kimis presence already sours charles mood but he notices kimis teary eyes.. charles actually genuinely concerned for kimi like he says "what's up with you?" and kimi says it's "nothing" then hate fucking idk how id get them to hate fuck im so horny about this pairing im sorry idk maybe charles offers him a drink even tho kimi isnt 21 yet then they get drunk and weird with each other guuhhh.... dubcon shit ig orr maybe thinking of a stalking fan trope, maybe on charles? and kimi saves him?? then charles develop his feelings for kimi.. and then they fuck?? 😍😍 but kimi uses him as a rebound from max 💔💔💔
carcar subplot where oscar is being dragged by lando to hangout with him and carlos.. then oscar is giving carlos that "look" 😏 and carlos feels unnerved by it.. lando notices the shift in carlos behaviour whenever the three hangout together. carlos gets weirdly awkward and avoidant around oscar and it upsets lando a bit. carlos dealing with that internalized homophobia going on rn and is in denial that he finds oscar attractive 😍😍😍😍 oscar aware his gay ass stare he's giving on carlos amuses the shit out of him 💀 and loves cornering him but i kinda want them to fuck eventually but idk how..
lawbladjar subplot where arvid and isack fights over liams attention in the silliest way.. then they end up having a truce and a threesome then destroying liams asshole 😍😍😁😁
