destined (max verstappen)

thirty five

His dad always used to say that he was hard on him so that he would be stronger when he was no longer around, he demanded that Max accepted cruelty as kindness. He insisted he was only hurting him to help him, "One day you won't need me anymore." He would say to max out at the tracks in the early mornings.

"But I need you now," Max's innerchild would cry, it was a constant battle "What are you here for? Money?" Max asked.

Jos always had to show up unannounced and at the worst possible times, it was like he knew it and chose to deliberately mess with Max's plans "You talk to your old man like that?" Jos asked him, walking into his apartment past max.

The thing was, he was his fathers son, and always had been, but he put in the work to be nothing like Jos. He tried to think of others and not just himself, he doesn't clench his fists in rage anymore instead he just lets his hands be held.

But then when he would spend time with Jos and suddenly he withers away into an angry little boy again, "Yeah," Max sternly looked at him "You wouldn't come for no reason."

"Well you wouldn't know that, it's not like you respond to my messages or my calls, you don't even know how hard it was to find you." Jos sighed making himself at home and sitting at one of the bar stools in the kitchen.

"Did you ever think it's because I don't want to be found? Ever cross your mind?" Max asked, shaking his head at the man and checking his watch for the time.

Jos noticed this instantly "So your too busy for me now is that it? I give you this entire life and you can't even respond to a text?"

"Maybe." Max replied, tapping his foot and waiting for his dad to give up and leave, he couldn't force Jos out. He wouldn't dare.

Jos put his hands in his face and groaned, "Oh god and the Vettel race, that was humiliating max seriously, he beat you so goddamn easily I wondered if you were even trying, or even trying to lose. Because that's what it looked like."

"Wow, thanks dad." Max chirped.

Jos sighed, finally asking the question, "Honestly, you're losing your talent more and more by the day. Is it because of that-

"Max?" I called out, I was stood at his apartment door which was slightly ajar, so either Jos had invited himself in or max was desperate for him to leave. Or both, seconds later the door was opened to me by max and I walked into the apartment without another word.

Jos looked at me, I'd never seen him in real life, but I saw the resemblance in them slightly, Jos stood up "So you're the reason my son missed a race this season?" He asked pointing at me.

I had no idea if Max even wanted me to meet his dad, especially since I kind of invited myself to meet his mother and his sister, "I told you dad I was sick." Max defended coming up behind me and holding my waist, like he was making sure that I would be okay.

"You were in Australia, she has an accent." Jos commented, he'd put two and two together pretty quickly.

"Whatever," Max snapped "Is that why you're here? To figure out what's going on? I'm lost dad really."

"I wanted to meet your girlfriend," Jos comments "Olivia is it? Hi I'm Jos, I'm sure you've heard of me."

I looked to max and then back to Jos, this was odd, Max knew it was suspicious and didn't remove his hand from me, so I just nodded "Yeah, you can call me liv."

Jos shrugged from his seat "I mean I get it now that I've seen her, why you're lacking so much on the track."

"What?" Max coughed out.