The Team // A Formula One AU

Kimi

"Four of you can go to the showers now," I hear Peter call from outside our dorm.

"Finally! Who the heck went in before us?" I say getting out of bed. 

"It was Checo's room. Why don't you let the others go first, seeing as they've been waiting so long?" I sigh and fall back down, knowing there's no point arguing. As he's so fond of reminding me, Peter is an engineer now and has power over me. Lewis and I have to stay in the room as the others leave, giving my cousin a chance to lean in against the doorframe and taunt me.

"What's wrong, Kitty? Don't want to lay in bed for an extra half hour?"

"Why can't you exercise some family favouritism once in a while?" 

"Now, now. What would your mother say if she knew you were being selfish?"

"What would your mother say if she knew you were being such a d-"

"The food goes away in twenty minutes!!" Lando yells from down the corridor, cutting me off. Peter slinks off to get his breakfast before I can finish yelling at him. He probably had a shower at five in the morning. I groan as Lewis opens the curtains and pull on my sunglasses to avoid adjusting to the light. He sits on Lance's bed.

"They won't take too long," he says.

"I know. I just wish that Peter hadn't had to come here with me."

"Isn't it nice? To have a piece of home with you?" Lewis asks.

"No. You don't understand. He's watching me all the time, he's trying to be one of us but he isn't. I want to be with my friends, not my goody-two-shoes cousin."

Lewis considers that for a moment. I turn onto my side so I can watch his face and see if he gets it. He doesn't.

"So... How come you dislike your goody-two-shoes cousin, but you've got an even more goody-two shoes-friend?" He smiles a little. So Lewis does know how to joke.

"You're different. You actually belong here. Unlike him."

Valtteri bangs on the door and I get up while Lewis questions the compliment. He doesn't think he belongs here. He doesn't realise how much he does. In relation to my cousin, at least.

I open the door for the others to come back in and it's finally our turn. We grab our towels and wander into the bathroom where we find Pierre and Yuki from the room next door.

"Be quick and you might even get some breakfast," Peter's voice echoes in.

"Maybe if you don't get there first," I reply coldly. He shuts the door and leaves. Finally. I love having showers, and an advantage of going last is that I don't need to be quick. I wash off all my irritation. By the time I've done that everyone else is nearly finished.

"Are you coming Kimi?" I hear Lewis call from a little distance away and I have to say no. I don't want to leave my warm little haven. My watch says it's quarter past eight, I still have fifteen minutes to get ready.

Wait, why am I wearing my watch?

I struggle to stop the water and rub soap out of my eyes. I have no idea when the mechanical hands stopped spinning but it must have been at least ten minutes ago. I race back to my room where I find no one left and curse. Even Lewis left me.

I rub my hair with a towel and empty deodorant onto my damp clothes. This is all Peter's fault. My bag is slung over my shoulder and I vaguely notice my phone falling out of my pocket before I shut the door with the key card still inside.

"God damn..."

"Kimi!"

"I'm coming!" I yell and run down the steps and out into the car park. I blink a couple of times in the bright yellow glow. I don't remember the bus looking like that. I put on my sunglasses. That's better.

"Finally. How long can you keep us all waiting?" Peter chides.

I shove past him onto the bus, making him stumble a couple of steps back. He watches me walk to the back and slump down next to Lewis. My Fortress shirt sticks to my skin uncomfortably. My hair is cold and still dripping.

"You missed Tom's reaction to seeing the bus. Notice how quiet it is now?"

"I... I didn't even notice the engine was running."

"Did you notice the paint job?" Yuki grins, twisting around from the row in front of us.

"Yeah, actually. It's not the right colour, though, is it?"

Yuki laughs nervously and turns away. As we pull off on the way to training, I rest my head against the window and it doesn't feel like my brains are being mashed. I have to say, this is not what I expected from this morning.