𝐒 𝐏 𝐑 𝐈 𝐍 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 [max verstappen x oc]

thirteen

Her legs were kicked up onto her desk as Lena reclined and sipped her tea, clicking through pictures from the last race.

"You're really getting the hang of this, you know?" Emilia snatched the tea from her hands, ignoring Lena's cry of annoyance. "It's not fair that you've only been here a month and a half and you're already getting more media time than me."

Lena took the tea back with a raised eyebrow. "Not my fault I'm better than you. I think it took an outside perspective."

They were very comfortable now. After a month and a half, Lena could almost forget about her life back in Monaco. It hadn't been easy--she missed it a lot, and dealing with the drivers wasn't always fun, but the traveling and racing

"Shut up." Emilia groaned. "Suczka...these photos aren't uploading." She turned to Lena with a smile on her face. "Hey! Wanna go run down to the media room to drop off these prints?"

Lena groaned and crumpled her empty paper cup of tea. "Lunch on you."

Clasping the prints in her right hand, she made her way downstairs and opting to use the stairs rather than the elevator.

She pushed the stairs door open and hustled to the media room where Lucas was expecting the prints. When she entered the media room she stopped.

Checo, Max, Christian Horner, Lucas, and two unknown men were sitting at a desk, looking deep in conversation. At the sound of her entering the room, the drivers snapped their heads over to the door. Checo gave her a small smile, whereas Max just frowned and furrowed his eyebrows.

One would think that after 45 days, they would be a little bit better around eachother, but things with Max had only really gotten worse. They bickered, way too much, and could hardly stand being in the same car together. Max took every chance to make her feel like she was beneath him, and Lena took every chance to prove he was a selfish asshole.

"Oh," Lena swallowed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here."

Mr. Horner stopped what he was saying and eyed her from across the room, clearly deciding what to do before smiling. "No, it's alright. Can I help you with something?"

Lena raised the prints in her hands. "I just need to drop these off in the office. I'll be a second."

Horner nodded and turned back to the two other gentlemen that Lena didn't know, but as one of them began to speak she felt that she recognized him.

She brushed it off and made a bee-line for the office.

"We think that our third quarter revenue will be higher, but all we're asking for is a bit more promotion."

The mans voice was definitely familiar, but Lena couldn't place it. She dropped the photos onto the desk and turned, trying to get a better look.

Horner groaned and pinched his noise, his eyes falling on Lena before they lit up. "You know what, speak of the devil. This is Lena, she's our new photographer. Lena, come over here."

She was flabberghasted. Grimacing, Lena shuffled over while keeping her hands behind her back so none of them could see her nervous fidgeting.

Lena hoped her demeanor didn't seem off. She ignored Max watching her like a hawk.

"Lena, these our the reps from RedBull Energy, they stopped by to talk about promotion." Horner put a hand on her shoulder and motioned to the two men who Lena could now get a better look at, and her heart stopped.

The scar. Right below his left eye. Dark black hair.

Oh fuck. The biker. From Monaco.

A wave of fear crashed into her, pummeling her head as an aneurysm began to form. How was this happening? What was going on?

Horner's voice sounded like it was underwater as her breathing slowed and she began to feel dizzy on her feet.

Whoever the man was, he must've sensed it to and recognized her because she swore his face went pale, followed by a stern clench of his jaw and a menacing squint of his eyes.

"Lena?"

Max's voice cut through the water, sounding surprisingly concerned.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry. I..." Her breath caught. "Um, yes, I'm Lena."

Horner smiled awkwardly. "Yes, you are. Anyway, she's been doing a great job this season, I've been working directly with her and the media team in order to make sure we are representing correctly."

He glanced at Lena, waiting for her to say something but all she could do was nod and muster the most enthusiastic smile she could find.

Lena's eyesight was blurring, and dark spots began to form around the corners of her eyes. Was she about to pass out? Was this a panic attack?

"I should get going, I have a lot to do." Hurriedly, she tried to control her desperate pants for breath and rushed out of the room, ignoring the man's last look and Horner's thanks.

The second Lena was out of the room she bolted left and found the stairwell. Her heart was pounding out of her chest as fear rose like acid in her stomach. How could this happen? How was this possible?

She'd been so careful her whole life, so cautious about who knew her real life. Now it would all crumble down. That man had warned her he didn't want to see her again, he knew her secret and he knew more than anything that what she did was illegal. He would tell Horner, then Peter and then she would be fired and she would lose everything. Her job, her bike, her apartment. Fuck, she'd lose the new friends she'd made at RedBull already. Everything. It would all disappear because she was too stupid to play it safe.

Her breathing wouldn't slow. No matter what she did, Lena was having a panic attack on the stairwell, clutching at her chest and clawing at her hair.

All of this, every bit of joy she had piled on since switching jobs was melting away. Did she really think she would be happy? Did she really think this would work out?

Lena felt someone grab her hands, pulling them away from her chest and her head, but whoever's voice it was kept muffled and distant, as if her body was shutting down any contact from the outside.

"Lena."

Muffled. Who was it?

"Lena!"

Louder now, and something in her head snapped. She could hear her own breathing now and saw clearer.

"Breathe, in and out. Do it with me." The man in front of her gripped her hands and mimicked inhaling and exhaled, snapping her name every time he saw she was losing it.

Lena opened her eyes further, and through her blurred vision she saw a RedBull t-shirt. "Max?"

"Keep breathing Lena. You're having a panic attack, it's okay." He seemed...calm. Weirdly enough.

She shook her head. "It's not okay. It's not okay, Max." Her breathing had finally slowed and her conscious came back to her.

For the first time since she left Monaco, Lena felt tears brimming the corners of her eyes. Desperately, she rubbed at them but to no avail as salty droplets began to run down her cheeks.

"Jesus christ." She sniffed, pawing at the tears but nothing was stopping them.

Max watched her for a second, crouching in front of her before doing something extremely unexpected for the Dutchman.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against him into a hug. Lena was taking completely off-guard and the tears stopped for a second as she felt Max's arms pressing her against him. Surprisingly stronger than what she'd imagined, though in her head, Max was tiny and small.

He smelled like metal and rust. Lena's tears began to pool on his shirt.

a/n: hi guys, thanks for your patience

hows ur day going?