All is fair in Love & War

Chapter 1

Australia, March 2020

"I will race, I am protected by my helmet and my car and that's all I need!" You said, exasperated.

"I know that's what you guys have but we have to be sensitive, there are some people out there who aren't certain they have it or not." Said Christian in a sigh.

"You ask her to be sensitive!" Max let out with a snort.

"What's that supposed to mean?" You asked him.

"Do I have to spell that for you?"

"Sod off, Verstappen, like you don't want to race no matter what!"

"I do, yes, but not at the expense of everyone's health, are you that thick?"

"So now all of a sudden you're Mr. Nice!" You huffed.

Max was about to reply when Christian yelled. "Enough! I won't have any of this again in my office nor anywhere else. Especially not on the race track were you are teammates. Teammates, okay?"

You sighed, defeated. "Sorry boss, I just can't stand here getting attacked and do nothing"

"Like I don't have to go through the same with you when you decide to attack me." Max said.

"Both of you, leave my office right now, you're of no help in this moment." Horner spat and let you both go.

You two left the premises and went outside. "Good job out there, we almost convinced them to push for a race."

Max snorted. "With what? Telling him you were protected by your helmet? I don't know if you know but there are many covid cases around, it's not so much about us as it is for the whole team"

"I know that, I'm not stupid!" You said. "But here we have money and a show to give. If we don't do this, we'll be looking like bigger clowns than we already look"

"Sometimes you sound stupid." He said and chuckled before turning around and leaving.

"See, there's no way to have a conversation with you, you twat!" You flipped him the bird and went your own way.

You heard him laugh and went to your room while watching the people around the paddock screaming for the drivers and asking for a response. If it was for you, you'd be putting on your suit and driving around the track just to avoid the boredom and the embarrassment from not having an answer about what to do with the race this weekend.

You knew Max really wanted to drive, but he likes to appear mature in front of the boss just because he loves to leave you as the impulsive rookie. That's true, you were an impulsive rookie, but isn't that what brings you to formula one in the end? And isn't that the game of the famous Max Verstappen, who now wants to appear as the responsible first driver who never disrespected the rules in his life? Yeah, as if he was a total saint.

Honestly, you were getting fed up with his game. You basically hated each other from the second week as teammates. The first one went civil and nice, everyone welcomed you and Max went full on Podstappen, like you used to call him when he didn't shut up because it was like listening to a boring podcast. Then came the Maxplaining, where he would go and explain as if you'd never touched a car in your life. One day, you had enough and snapped at him, telling him to shove his discourses and stop treating you like an inferior being. He was shocked at first but instead of letting you go he replied back: that he was there to help, that he was trying to be nice and some words like entitled, selfish and kid.

Ever since then, you couldn't see eye to eye with anything. The debriefings were terrible, because even both your engineers were fighting sometimes because of your strategies. At the factory you had different days to attend just so you wouldn't make a scene and discuss over the tiniest thing.

Outside the private team things, everything was different. Games, challenges, videos, interviews: all of them showed you two as the best of friends, but as soon as the cameras were off, you wouldn't talk again or maybe you would, but to criticise as something the other had said and/or done. At the paddock and the race it was the same, best team ever, warmed up and focused together, never crashed or raced each other.

On the inside, you were waiting to see him again to snap at his stupid face for any little thing he could have done. And you were sure he was the same, because he would go to you the minute you were off the race duties to say something like, "too late hitting the brakes in turn 2, next time try not to kill yourself or everyone else!" And you would reply with something like "thank goodness I have a man to teach me how to drive! And even more, THE Max!"

He would end up laughing and leaving without a word. 

And that's how it went with you two. A storm.