Maybe in another life-formula 1

The flames

Angelus never understood why Max did what he did. Why did he throw their friendship away so suddenly? It gnawed at him, an unending cycle of torment. He used to spend hours questioning himself.

Did I say something wrong? Did I do something to piss him off? Was I not good enough?

They had always been so different. Max was hot-headed, impulsive, and volatile, while Angelus was always a calmer steady presence. Some people said they clashed; Angelus used to think they completed each other.

Angelus was used to race-driver Max, the one who would shut down after a bad race, who would shut him out and ignore everyone. Angelus was always more tolerant when it came to Max. He tried to support him. Made sure he was never too destructive.

Even though Max was a force to be reckoned with when angry, he would rather burn the whole paddock down than ever direct his destruction at Angelus. It was a known fact that even though they were on different teams. You could always spot Angelus sitting with Max at a quiet corner of the paddock after Max had a bad race even if his own race was worse.

because Angelus was conditioned to love, but Max was conditioned to win.

But Angelus didn't mind, not one bit. Because he loved Max with all the meaning of the word. And that is what made it such a shock It was the reason he never saw it coming.

......

The paddock was nearly deserted, the hum of race day replaced by an eerie silence. Dim lights cast long shadows, the atmosphere thick with unspoken tension. Max paced back and forth still in his race suit, his phone clutched in his hand, while Angelus approached, frustration clouding his expression.

"what the hell was that?" Angelus snapped, his voice cutting through the silence as he approached Max. His face was red and his helmet was clutched tightly in his hand.

Max stopped pacing and turned to face him, his expression hard.

"What do you want"

Angelus' eyes flashed with anger. "What do I want!!! You almost killed both of us, You swerved into me! I had the line, Max. What the fuck were you thinking?"

Max stepped closer turning his whole body to face Angelus now, his voice rising. "I was thinking about winning! Something you clearly do not understand, "

Angelus' hands clenched into fists, his body trembling with rage. "Winning? At any cost? I don't think about that because I like to win clean races. You can't win every race with brute force!"

Max scoffed, a cruel smirk forming on his lips. "Maybe you should have driven better, Angelus. Maybe you're just not cut out for this."

Angelus shook his head, his voice shaking with emotion. These were not Max's words. It had been tense yes. They were neck and neck in the championship but this wasn't the first time.

He had seen Max angry but Max never took it out on him.

"What the fuck are you on about"

Max crossed his arms, his stance aggressive.

"Get over yourself, that is racing. If you can't take it quit"

Angelus shook his head in disbelief

"Max you've ignored me for the past two weeks, I had to find out through the fucking media that you signed with torro rosso, and now you almost killed me"

Max's frown only deepened.

"Are you jealous Reyes that I'm moving up, and you're still stuck in F2? is that what it is?"

Angelus' eyes widened in disbelief. "Jealous? do you hear yourself??? Since when am I jealous Max I would have been happy for you, you dickhead but I had to find out about your promotion from the media, Max. You didn't even bother to tell me."Max's eyes flashed with irritation.

" I don't owe you anything. You're too busy dreaming about Ferrari to see what's right in front of you. Do you think they're actually going to take you?? They'll find someone else, and you'll be left with nothing."

Angelus took a step closer, his voice steady despite the turmoil brewing inside him. "I need you to stop talking now Max. I don't know what the fuck is going on with you but you need to fucking stop before you say something you will regret."

Max's expression hardened further, the words that weren't his echoing in his mind. "You've always been too soft, Angelus. Too worried about what everyone thinks, about being liked. Well, guess what? In this sport, being liked doesn't mean shit. Winning does."

"You think I'm soft? Maybe I am. But at least I know how to care about people, how to value relationships," Angelus said, his voice trembling with emotion. "You're so focused on winning that you've forgotten what really matters."

Max's expression didn't soften. "What really matters is winning. Everything else is just a distraction."

Max sneered, his tone dripping with disdain.

Angelus felt something inside him break. He had always been there for Max, always tried to understand him, to support him. But now, standing in front of this cold, unfeeling version of Max, he realized that nothing he did would ever be enough.

"Is that what this is, you're getting rid of the distractions before moving up...friends are now a distraction to you"

Max turned away, his voice cold.

"There are no friends in this sport Angelus, I tried to tell you that many years ago"

Angelus stood there, feeling the weight of Max's words crushing him. His hands clenching so hard around the helmet it was starting to hurt. He waited a beat, maybe for Max to apologize to say he was joking anything. But when Max started to turn away he felt something take over him as any sadness was replaced with pure rage.

"I never want to see you again. I hope you win that fucking championship, Max, and when you're standing there alone with your trophy, I hope you finally understand that it will never be enough."

Max's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

Angelus turned and walked away, each step feeling like he was tearing himself away from a part of his soul.

As he walked away from the track, the sound of roaring engines and cheering crowds faded, replaced by a deafening silence. The kind of silence that accompanies the end of something once beautiful.

.....