Pit Stop of the Heart -Daniel Ricciardo bxb

The Unraveling

The days after the kiss felt like they were in limbo, as if Daniel and Lucas were both navigating the space between something familiar and something new. The race had come and gone, but the memory of that brief, electrifying moment lingered between them like a secret neither of them had fully acknowledged.

For Daniel, it was hard to focus on anything else. The team's debriefs, the media sessions, even the quiet moments in the garage felt like they were happening in a fog. His mind kept drifting back to Lucas—the way he looked at him after, the way his lips had felt against his. It was too much for him to process, too much to reconcile with the friendship that had come before.

The next day, after the post-race media duties were finished and the teams were beginning to pack up to head to the next destination, Daniel found himself seeking out Lucas once more. It wasn't intentional at first, but as he walked down the paddock, his feet seemed to move in the direction of Lucas's usual spot without him realising it.

There he was again, leaning against the same crate, eyes on the track, lost in thought. But this time, when Daniel approached, Lucas looked up, his expression softening immediately.

"Hey," Daniel said, his voice quieter than usual, unsure of how to break the awkwardness that had settled between them.

"Hey," Lucas replied, offering a small smile. "You looking for a quiet spot again?"

Daniel shrugged. "Guess so. Or maybe just looking for you," he added, surprising himself with the honesty of the words.

Lucas's smile faltered just a little, but he didn't look away. "Yeah? And what for?"

Daniel hesitated, unsure if he should say what was running through his mind, unsure if he could even find the words. "I don't know. To talk, I guess. About... what happened."

Lucas pushed off from the crate and took a step closer. His eyes searched Daniel's face, his lips pressed together like he was weighing his response.

"Yeah, about that..." Lucas started, his voice softer now, as if treading carefully. "I don't know what to make of it either. It just kind of... happened."

Daniel nodded, a nervous laugh escaping him. "Yeah. Exactly. It wasn't planned, you know?"

"No, definitely not." Lucas's smile returned, but it was different this time—less playful, more real. "But I don't regret it."

The words hung between them, the air thick with the unspoken understanding that neither of them was willing to fully name just yet. It was like a thread between them, pulling them closer but also keeping them in check, unsure of what would come next.

"So, what now?" Daniel asked, voice barely above a whisper. He felt almost exposed asking the question, like it carried more weight than he was ready to acknowledge.

Lucas looked down at the ground for a moment, thinking. Then he lifted his gaze back to Daniel, his eyes intense, but there was something comforting in the way he looked at him.

"I don't know," Lucas said, his voice quiet but steady. "I think... we take it slow. We figure it out. No rush. No pressure. Just... see where this goes."

Daniel let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. "Yeah. I like that." He felt a weight lift from his chest, a relief that felt surprisingly good. "No rush. Just... see where it goes."

For a long moment, neither of them moved, just standing there, the sound of the distant chatter and the bustle of the paddock around them. Daniel couldn't help but notice how much quieter everything seemed when it was just the two of them. The world outside faded, and for the first time in a long while, Daniel wasn't worried about what came next. He wasn't worried about the race, or the expectations, or the unknowns of what would happen after.

"Can I ask you something?" Daniel said suddenly, his voice a little more uncertain this time.

"Of course," Lucas replied, his expression softening.

"What do you want out of this? I mean... us. What do you want?" Daniel asked, his heart pounding in his chest. The question felt big, heavier than he had intended, but it needed to be asked.

Lucas's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker in his eyes—something deep, something real. "I want to take it one step at a time," Lucas answered slowly. "No expectations, no rushing. Just... whatever happens, happens. And if something more comes of it, then we deal with it then."

Daniel felt a sense of clarity wash over him. He didn't have all the answers, and neither did Lucas, but that was okay. There was no rush, no urgency. They were just two people figuring it out.

"Alright," Daniel said softly. "One step at a time."

Lucas nodded, the faintest smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah. One step at a time."

There was a sense of quiet understanding between them, something that felt almost sacred in its simplicity. They didn't need to rush anything. They didn't need to have all the answers. For the first time in a while, Daniel felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

And just as he thought the moment might end, Lucas took a small step forward, his eyes meeting Daniel's with something new in them—something unspoken, yet clear. Before Daniel could react, Lucas leaned in, closing the small gap between them.

This time, the kiss was different. It wasn't hurried, and it wasn't tentative. It was soft, but there was a depth to it, a kind of quiet intensity that felt like the world had shifted just slightly, in the best way.

When they pulled back, neither of them said anything for a long moment. The air between them was filled with unspoken possibilities, with the simple understanding that whatever this was, they'd take it together. Slowly, steadily. No rush.

"I think I'm starting to get it," Daniel said finally, his voice low and almost breathless.

Lucas's smile widened, his eyes filled with something Daniel couldn't quite describe. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "Me too."

And for the first time in a long while, Daniel didn't feel like he was running a race. He didn't feel the pressure, the weight of expectations. All he could feel was Lucas—right here, right now—and that was enough.