Pit Stop of the Heart -Daniel Ricciardo bxb

Under the Hood

The garage was empty, quiet except for the hum of a single overhead light and the faint sound of the night crew in the distance, cleaning up after a long day at the track. Daniel leaned over the open hood of his car, tracing his fingers along the cold metal with an appreciation that bordered on reverence. Late nights in the garage were something of a ritual for him—a chance to be alone with the machine, to remind himself why he loved racing.

He was so absorbed in the intricate lines of the engine that he didn't notice Lucas enter the garage until he heard a voice.

"Couldn't stay away?"

Daniel jumped a little, then straightened, flashing Lucas a grin. "You caught me. Figured I'd sneak in a little extra time with her," he said, patting the car.

Lucas smirked, crossing his arms as he leaned casually against a nearby workbench. "Should I be concerned? This is starting to look like a full-blown relationship."

"Hey, I'm just committed," Daniel shot back, but there was a lightness in his tone, a playfulness he couldn't quite hold back. "Anyway, shouldn't you be heading home? Pretty late to be lurking around the garage."

Lucas shrugged, gaze steady. "I like the quiet. And besides, I wanted to take a look at some data." He held up his tablet, and Daniel caught a glimpse of the telemetry graphs he'd been reviewing earlier.

"Must be pretty important data," Daniel said, and he was only half-joking. There was a faint curiosity prickling at the back of his mind, a desire to know more about Lucas and his tireless focus on perfection.

Lucas lifted a shoulder. "If you're going to improve performance, you can't be half-hearted about it," he replied, voice soft but firm. "The car deserves that much."

Daniel took in the words, realizing they mirrored something he felt himself but rarely heard from others in the team. It was one thing to talk about stats and numbers, and another to care about them like Lucas seemed to.

They stood in comfortable silence, and after a moment, Daniel gestured to the open hood. "You know, I've been doing this—just hanging out with the car—since I was a kid," he said, surprising himself with the confession. "Even back then, I'd sit in the garage with my dad, just watching him work. It was like... I don't know, I felt closer to it all that way."

Lucas nodded, his expression softening, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "My dad was a mechanic," he said, voice quieter now. "So, yeah, I get it. We used to tinker with old cars in the yard. He taught me more about engines than any textbook."

The garage seemed smaller, quieter as the words hung between them. Daniel felt a flicker of something like understanding—a shared, unspoken connection. He hadn't expected Lucas to have a story like that, one so close to his own. The two of them, years apart and from opposite sides of the world, linked by the same love for cars, for the beauty and complexity of racing.

"What happened? Did he...did he ever get to see you work in F1?" Daniel asked, treading lightly.

Lucas shook his head, the faintest shadow crossing his face. "No. He passed before I got here."

The words were simple, but they carried a weight that sank deep into Daniel's chest. He knew the pain of losing someone who had given him so much, but he couldn't imagine the bittersweetness of achieving a dream without them there to see it. He wanted to say something, to break through the distance that Lucas seemed to put between himself and everyone else, but he couldn't find the right words.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said quietly, and though it felt inadequate, it was the only thing he could offer.

Lucas nodded, his expression unreadable. "It's alright. He would've been proud," he said, almost to himself, before he looked back at Daniel, eyes steady. "So. What do you think of the car?"

The abrupt shift startled Daniel, but he rolled with it, leaning back against the car and crossing his arms, considering. "Honestly? It's the best setup I've had in a while. It's not just the handling—it's the balance. You got it perfect, even with the adjustments I asked for. That's not easy."

Lucas's mouth quirked, just slightly, as if he were pleased but not surprised. "Glad to hear it," he said, and Daniel thought he saw the faintest glint of pride in Lucas's gaze.

A silence settled between them again, comfortable this time, each lost in his own thoughts. Daniel felt himself wondering again about Lucas's past, about the parts he kept hidden behind that calm exterior. There was a depth there he hadn't expected—a quiet resilience that made him want to know more. But he knew better than to push.

Eventually, Lucas straightened, tapping a few final notes on his tablet. "Well, I should let you get back to your... car worship," he said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

Daniel chuckled. "Hey, don't judge. This is serious business."

"I'll leave you to it, then," Lucas replied, his tone lighter than usual, and for a brief moment, his gaze softened as he looked at Daniel. It was a fleeting look, one that might have been nothing more than a trick of the light, but it made Daniel's pulse quicken all the same.

Lucas turned to go, and Daniel felt a strange urge to stop him, to find some excuse to keep him there a little longer. But the moment passed, and he watched as Lucas disappeared into the dim hallway, leaving him alone with his thoughts and the silent, gleaming car.

Daniel let out a breath, running a hand through his hair as he leaned against the car, the cool metal steady against his back. He couldn't quite explain what had just passed between them, the unspoken bond, the lingering glances. He'd worked with plenty of engineers over the years, each one dedicated in their own way, but none of them had ever felt like this. None of them had made him feel this way.

He glanced back down the hallway, half-expecting Lucas to reappear, but the corridor was empty, his footsteps long gone. Daniel shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Maybe he was just imagining things. Or maybe... maybe this was something more.

The thought lingered in his mind as he turned back to the car, heart pounding in the quiet of the garage.