Formula One • One Shots & Preferences • DISCONTINUED

➢ Max Verstappen - "I never meant to hurt you." + other

hufflepufferniffler F1_mendes f1lovesme

~***~

I had been keeping my career a secret from my boyfriend, Max, for as long as I have known him. We were introduced last year, before I had taken the step up to Formula 1. My identity as a driver was something I kept hidden due to the amount of backlash I'd receive if people really knew that I was a girl. Although people hate to admit it, the sport and some of its supporters are extremely sexist. Luckily, I found a team that could help with that - Sauber. Since Marcus Ericsson left Ferrari and I was apart of the junior programme, I was the first choice to be Kimi's teammate for the 2019 season. It's such an honour to be able to race alongside an amazingly talented driver who was also like a dad to me away from home. Kimi also acts as a mentor in some ways which helps improve my driving. It is surprising how I manage to keep up with someone with that amount of experience, and in some cases, outpace him. Also, thanks to the amount of money Kimi brings to the team, the car was able to get developed better which means we were as competitive as Renault. Although we're not quite on par with the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari, we manage to bag a decent amount of points every weekend.

Max's birthday fell during the weekend of the Russian Grand Prix. With the help of Daniel and Brendon (both of which knew about my identity as a driver through circumstances I couldn't predict or control), I organised a 'drivers only' party to be held on the Saturday. It was there that I was planning on making an appearance and announcing to the grid that I am Kimi's teammate.

"Will you stop bouncing you leg? It's annoying." Kimi said, his eyes darting between me and the road. We were currently driving to the party and my nerves were though the roof. I quietly apologised, crossing my legs over one another to stop any further movement. "You know, Y/N, Max wouldn't care that you drive."

"It's just so hard to tell..." I sighed, leaning my head against the cool glass window. My mind began to wander. Should I hand him his gift and then tell him, or let him figure it out by himself? "Shit!" I exclaimed, suddenly sitting upright. Kimi seemed alarmed and put a hand out for me. "I forgot to get a gift!"

Rolling his eyes, Kimi returned both hands on the steering wheel. "You're not supposed to distract the driver at any point."

"Sorry." I bit my lip. "I can't believe I'm such a bad girlfriend."

"Max doesn't think so. Whenever we speak he always finds away to talk about how amazing his girlfriend is."

"But I lied! He thinks I'm just a strategist..."

"And? It's not like you lied about anything important. Your job doesn't directly affect him in any way." I found it odd that Kimi was providing responses longer than a short sentence, but I wasn't complaining. When he wanted to be, the Iceman was incredibly sweet and protective. He's my dad and best friend away from home.

I chewed nervously on my bottom lip as we pulled up at the venue. There were no cameras in sight, luckily, which took away some of my nerves. Once I had stepped out of the car, I immediately grabbed ahold of Kimi's arm for comfort.

"You said teammates arrive together, yes?" Kimi asked and I nodded my head. "Then they should figure out you're my teammate quickly."

"Brendon and Daniel already know so I'm sure they'll explain it if they have to." We walked to the door where a 'Happy Birthday' banner was taped. Kimi pushed it open for me after sensing my reluctance and nerves.

The first thing that I heard over the music was Max's laugh. I spotted him immediately in the crowded room talking to Pierre and Charles. It seemed as if Kimi and I were the last people to arrive.

"Hey!" Daniel's loud voice carried across the room. He pointed a finger at us with a wide grin on his face. "The Saubers have arrived." I watched as Max turned to us, confusion replacing his amusement.

"Y/N?" He asked, ending the prior conversation he was having to walk towards me. I went to grab Kimi's arm for comfort but he had already walked off and was socialising with his former teammate. Fuck.

"Hey..." I nervously smiled. "I didn't really want to tell you like this."

"Not that I don't love seeing you, but I thought this was a driver only party? I was going to celebrate with you later." It seemed as if the penny hadn't yet dropped, or he was refusing to believe the obvious. "And tell me what?"

"I'm, uh, kinda, sorta, possibly Kimi's teammate." My voice made it sound like a question and I watched as Max's smile dropped. "I never meant to hurt you, I swear. I just couldn't find the right time and then I thought I'd tell you in a light-hearted way and-"

"Y/N." Max interrupted. "You're rambling."

"I just really want to apologise and-"

"Schatje." He chuckled. "I already had my suspicions, but I'm not mad in the slightest. Well, maybe slightly because you did give me a puncture in China..." the familiar teasing and happy tone was back in his voice and I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." I wrapped my arms tightly around his torso, pressing the side of my face against his chest.

"But now I can officially tell all the other drivers that I have to coolest girlfriend out of everyone!" As he got to the end of his sentence, he was shouting out across the room. Several of the drivers nodded at me in appreciation whilst the ones who knew gave me a thumbs up. "She's a fucking driver!" Max exclaimed.

"Happy birthday, babe." I chuckled, feeling my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. God, I love this man so much. I don't know how I would've coped if he would've reacted any differently. How stupid would it have been if I'd thrown away our relationship because I didn't have the guts to tell him about my job.

"So, did you get me a present?" Max asked hopefully.

"Uh..." I bit my lip and looked up into his eyes. I then stood up on my tiptoes so that my lips were next to his ear, my hand placed firmly against his toned chest. "You'll get your birthday gift later." As I pulled away, I added a subtle wink. He seemed to catch my drift and smirked down at me, his eyes full of lust.

"I don't doubt it'll be worth the wait."

~***~

I'm not the greatest writer of smut which is why I didn't include it. However, if it is something you'd like to see in a part two or something, I will write it.