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sbdskate · 3 months

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Laws Of Attraction (Epilogue 1) - DR x lawyer!fem!reader

Summary: Daniel signed with RB at the end of the 2022 season, ending your attorney-client relationship. You decide to give romance a try in the off season.

Pairing: lawyer!fem!reader x Daniel Ricciardo

Warnings (18+): fluff, language, *SMUT*: p in v, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap)

Word Count: 2,291

February 2023

You woke up to his breath tickling the back of your neck, which you had now grown pleasantly accustomed to over the last few months. His arm snaked over your waist with his hand lightly resting just below your breasts. Sometimes his face nuzzled into the back of your shoulder so that you could feel his stubble lightly tickle you. You treasured these soft, quiet moments that were hidden from the rest of the world.

By a miracle, your budding relationship had not yet been sniffed out by paparazzi or investigative fans, but you knew it wouldn’t last forever. The distance was hard, as expected, but ended up being more manageable than you originally thought. Of course it helped that one of you had almost unlimited resources. He ended up spending a good chunk of time at his property in Beverly Hills which at least got you in the same continent and country. You would make up excuses to work out of the LA office for a week or so and The Firm suspected nothing of it or didn’t care enough to ask why. During the day you worked on other client matters while he hung out with Scotty and other friends, allegedly figuring out plans for the next Enchante drop. At night you stayed with him, cooking dinners together, throwing small parties, watching the sun set over the hills.

When you weren’t on the West Coast, he occasionally stayed with you in your small NYC apartment in the West Villiage. At first you protested that he should stay somewhere else, that there wasn’t enough room for the both of you, and that your accommodations were far too modest for the extravagant lifestyle he had become so accustomed to. Fine, you book the hotel, he would say with a smirk knowing full well you wouldn’t be able to afford the reservation to override him. But he so desperately wanted to a glimpse into your home that you could hardly say no.

It was easier for him to explore the city in the dead of winter where he blended in with everyone else on the street, bundled in at least four layers to keep warm. With a hat and scarf covering most of his face, he went about his day with the rare freedom of being unidentified and anonymous. When you were done with work you would sneak into the diviest dive bar you could find, consisting of dark basements with dark liquor. Or you would order takeout for dinner and eat it out of the container on your couch with a beer or glass of wine.

The two of you relished these moments of normalcy. Including moments like now, in that tiny apartment, on a chilly Friday in February where you bathed in the rays of sun that began to poke through your curtains in the light of morning. He had been on Stephen Colbert the night before and you watched in awe from the comfort of your couch that the man on the screen, in a suit you picked out, would be coming home to you at the end of the program.

Your eyes fluttered open before your alarm went off, Daniel’s breath making the hairs on the back of your neck stand. You smiled to yourself, still unable to believe this was your new reality. Just to be sure, you gently grabbed the hand positioned on your upper abdomen to move it to cup your breast. Perhaps you should have let him sleep, but you couldn’t pass up the chance to have extra time with him. You felt his breath pattern change as he slowly woke from the delicate touch. The silver lining of long distance was that neither of you were lacking in libido. Granted your relationship was still in its infancy, of course you couldn’t keep your hands off each other.

He pulled you in close flush against his chest and gave your shoulder a kiss.

“Good morning,” he mumbled, voice muffled by skin. You held your hand over his, squeezing it.

“Mmm good morning.” The crook of his nose caressed the path that followed the trails of kisses along your shoulder blade. He began to move his thumb over your sensitive nipple, feeling as it puckered under his touch. Your breath hitched as you squirmed, molding yourself into him. You partially turned your head to face him without disrupting your position. He propped himself on his elbow to meet you halfway and planted a messy kiss on your lips.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look in the morning?” You used to think he was joking, not that you could blame him if he were. There were people who were elegant sleepers, but you knew you were not one of them. Your hair almost always ended up looking like it could home a few birds or small rodent. Your eyes were puffy, slightly crusty, and every now and then there was some dried drool for good measure. Now that you had been at this for nearly two months, it was evident he was very serious each time.

“You have, but you can tell me again,” you mumbled as a smile grew on your face and stretched your limbs.

“You’re beautiful.” It came out muffled as your lips pressed together again, as his thumb continued to lazily graze your nipple.

You gently dragged his hand from your chest to the growing heat between your legs. You pressed against him again, feeling his hardened member against your ass. You smirked, satisfied with the results of your minimal efforts.

He kissed the crook of your neck as he drew tiny circles around your clit with his middle finger. You reached your arm behind you to gently scratch his head as little moans escaped your lips, breath becoming uneven with desire.

“Are you going to be late for work?” Ever the gentleman, you could tell he asked to be polite but it wasn’t actually a point of concern. You grinded into his groin in frustration.

“Not that I care at the moment, but no.” You moved his fingers even further south so he could feel your neediness. “I have twelve minutes and I don’t want to think about responsibilities until then. Do what you will with that information.”

A husky groan escaped his lips feeling how wet you were for him. His hand left you momentarily to stroke himself a few times before aligning with your entrance and you reached down to help guide him.

Two months, and it still took your breath away how full he made you feel. Your back arched into him and he caught your hips in his hand. Laced with sleep, he held on as he dragged in and out of you in deliberate, languid motions as though time didn’t exist. His hand moved slowly up your body, to your waist, over your soft stomach, the swell of your breast, where it snaked over your chest and enclosed around your throat with a gentle firmness that made your core clench. It was equally delicate and possessive. It delighted every surface of your body but his leisure pace now maddened you.

“Faster,” you choked out. He smirked as he slowed down the roll of his hips, tightening his grip around your neck. If he wasn’t awake before, he was now. Daniel was fascinated – you ordinarily enjoyed lazy morning sex but today you were extraordinarily needy for some reason. Not that he was mad at it. Your eyes twisted shut and you moaned through gritted teeth, simultaneously aroused and frustrated. “Fuck you.”

“Happily,” he taunted. “What’s the magic word?”

“Please.” He felt your body quiver around him as you begged for more of him. He closed his eyes and prayed that he would last for the remaining six minutes.

He obliged your pleas, only letting go of your neck to lift your leg up.

Right there

His thrusts deepened with the new angle and watched excitedly as your arm moved down. He couldn’t see you playing with yourself but knew you were as your moans became louder and more frequent and he felt your walls squeeze and twitch. The image seared into his brain and he knew he was done. He inhaled the scent from your hair in his face and he wished he could see you. But you were warm and tight and wet and perfect and he couldn’t stop himself.

“Fuck, I’m-”

“Yes”

Your hips stuttered and muscles spasmed around him. He spilled into you as his fingers sank into your skin, his vice grip unable to let go. You both laid limp for a moment, panting to catch your breath. Eventually you pulled yourself away from him to roll over.

Your hair was knotted and your flushed face was adorned with a shit-eating grin. You were stunning. Glowing.

“Good morning,” you said cheekily.

“Good morning,” he responded. He lifted his arm, inviting you to use his chest as a pillow. You did so gladly, intertwining yourselves in each other once more like vines. It was nice for all of forty-seven seconds before your alarm went off. He pulled you tighter before you could try to get up.

“Now I have to get going.” He placed a kiss at the top of your head.

“What if we just stayed in bed all day instead.” You groaned in silent agreement, but nonetheless peeled his arms off you.

“I would love to but I have to work. And so do you.” You kissed him before hopping into the shower.

Right. Daniel had almost forgotten that today was his first official day back as a Red Bull employee. His presence was requested for the livery launch set to happen in Midtown in a few hours. He laid in bed and smiled to himself as he listened to you sing I Just Had Sex by The Lonely Island.

“I still can’t believe it’s in New York,” you said casually as you poured yourself a cup of coffee. He hummed in agreement. “Suspiciously convenient, really.” You glanced at him through your peripheral to gauge his reaction. Nothing. Though he did look oddly pensive. You turned suddenly to confront him. “You’re sure you didn’t say anything to Christian?” He laughed at your skeptic accusation.

“Not a peep.”

“You swear it?” You held out your pinky.

“I swear it.” He linked his with yours.

“Kiss it,” you demanded. He rolled his eyes but obliged lowering his lips to his knuckles as you did yours, his focus on you never wavering.

You continued getting ready, though you couldn’t shake the sense that there was an uneasy intensity to him this morning. At first you thought it might just be nerves about the livery event, but then you caught him staring at you in the mirror while you were brushing your teeth. You spit and turned around.

“Ok you’re being weird. What is it?”

“I’m not being weird!” he said defensively. You brandished your toothbrush at him threateningly.

“Yes, you are. You’ve barely said two words since we had sex.” He scoffed.

“I’ve said lots of words. That was five just now –“

“There’s nothing wrong with being nervous, you know.”

“I’m not nervous –“

“Then what is it?”

He both loved and hated that you could read him like a book. You seemed to be intuitively aware of all of his deepest thoughts - though maybe not this one. He watched as you walked into the kitchen to pack your work bag. You filled your travel mug as you patiently waited for his response. He took a deep breath before jumping into the metaphorical deep end.

“Since things are official with Red Bull as of today, I figured we should be too.”

You snorted coffee through your nose. A not-so-subtle tomato hue dusted your cheeks immediately. Yet again, you weren’t sure why you were so surprised. The man was traveling half way around the world for you. With the amount of time, effort, care, and money spent, how could you ever believe he would lull you into something as malignant as a situationship? As it was in the beginning, you were the stop-gap preventing things from progressing. He had been respectful with taking things at a glacial pace, as you kindly requested. He had given you the proof you needed that there was a way to make the relationship work when you weren’t traveling constantly together. When you considered that you had now existed in each other’s orbits for nearly five months, he really had been as patient as a saint with you.

But he misconstrued your stunned silence as confusion, so he rephrased his proposition.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

Your timing was impeccable as always, as you choked on your own saliva before breaking into a coughing fit. He sighed and poured you a glass of water, slightly disgruntled by your antics.

He had been putting this off. He had wanted to wait for the right time, for it to be romantic and dreamy, everything you deserved. But each time the opportunity arose he lost his nerve, and now here you both were: in your kitchen, before you had to go to work, choking on thin air, decidedly unromantic.

“I’ll take that as a no.” You shook your head ferociously before attempting to sip the liquid. He frowned “Well shit, you don’t have to be so enthusiastic about it.” You shook your head again, then nodded. “Yes, that’s right, you’re not interested?” You decided that this was the worst game of charades, ever. You shook your head again.

“Yes,” *cough* “I want,” *cough* “to be your,” *cough* “girlfriend.” Despite the fact that you were barely breathing, Daniel’s thousand-watt smile appeared before you.

“Drink your fucking water and stop coughing so I can kiss you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Please don't be a ghost reader and thank you for reading! I'm happy I've been on a roll with my posting schedule but I know the next Epilogue part will not be ready by next week, so expect a little bit of a break after this (hopefully not four months again).

And thank you @thef1diary for your help

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rabbitcruiser · 2 years

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International Tuba Day

Underappreciated and often mocked, the tuba provides an essential role as bass in a wind or marching band, so dust off your tuba or go see a professional.

Do you all recall the least loved member of any marching band? That one sound that seemed to add so little to the overall musical experience that’s provided on the field?

No, we’re not talking about the drummers, though we can’t blame you for making that assumption. This is also marching band, not a rock band, so the bassist is ALSO the wrong answer, thanks for playing. We’re talking about the powerful “oompah” instrument that is the Tuba, and International Tuba Day celebrates the depth and diversity of sound that this beautiful brass wind is capable of producing.

So whether you know a Tuba Player, or are one today, International Tuba Day celebrates your underappreciated contribution to the arts.

History of International Tuba Day

These amazing performers really are underappreciated, and International Tuba Day gives recognition to them and all the struggles they face in the pursuit of their art. What struggles you say? Well, let’s start with the image that the world puts forth, the big heavy man with the big heavy instrument puffing away on it with cheeks like bellows.

That’s typically the first vision, and it often underscores the sheer lung capacity necessary for playing such a bombastic instrument. They’re also seen as having little to no personality, which is just utterly untrue! Playing such a lumbering instrument requires a significant amount of personality to make the performance bright and interesting!

Thankfully, we have a champion to come forth and help turn this image around. Joel Day first established this holiday in 1979 while part of the Lower Merion High School Band.

He and his fellow tuba player realized that their instruments simply failed to receive the respect and recognition they deserved. Little did he know that his efforts would result in a worldwide explosion of Tuba enthusiasm, with music being collected and performed that exalted the Tuba’s range and interest.

How to celebrate International Tuba Day

Well first off, if you’re a Tuba player, dust off that instrument and give the world a taste of what it’s been missing. The grand and powerful voice of the Tuba is amazing, and in the hands of a skilled player can definitely add a broad range of personality to any performance.

It’s deep, throaty, and not to be denied. You may be able to drown out the flutes and saxophones and violins, but the Tuba will pound right through the sound and make you feel it in your bones. International Tuba Day is your opportunity to remind the world what a Tuba player can do.

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jame7t · 2 years

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The Morbius Timeline

April 1, 2022: Morbius is released to critical failure- though the humorous name sparks a number of Morbius-themed memes and keeps it as a topic in pop culture, the movie itself is mostly irrelevant

April 23, 2022: BP Oil employees discover brittle, shale-like growths while performing routine maintenance on the production facility “Mad Dog”

May 12, 2022: BP Oil’s R&D department finds this new material fascinating, as it seems to grow exclusively in places that have already been harvested of all their natural resources- baffling them. They decide to keep this discovery quiet for the time being.

May 26, 2022: MorbPosting continues despite very few people actually seeing Morbius

June 7, 2022: BP Oil names this new substance “Morbium” after numerous market research leads imply that it could help obfuscate the true nature of the material- and the kids will love it!

July 21, 2023: MorbPosting has been thoroughly dead for nearly a year- BP Oil revives this when unveiling Morbium for the first time, to the horror of many, this is a renewable resource- that produces extremely hazardous byproducts when burned

July 29, 2023: Petitioners urge Sony and Disney to stop the production of Morbium under copyright law- those with law experience explain this won’t happen, and those with petition experience explain this won’t happen.

August 16, 2023: Morbium production facilities open across the world- no longer in the public eye thanks to a rapid news cycle, BP oil begins scouring their own old facilities and other companies for more Morbium.

September 29, 2023: The ozone layer rapidly shrinks due to the production of refined Morbium- a fuel that has no engines to power, as investors sink untold billions into the production of “the fuel of the future” despite it being incompatible with all current infrastructure.

December 14, 2023: “The falling Winter” occurs as numerous buildings within cities across the globe mysterious collapse under their own weight- investigations later reveal every single one was a shell for an oil mining rig hidden in plain sight. BP Oil refuses investigation, and President Biden resigns amid the controversy.

January 1, 2024: Morbium deposits across the world aerosolize amid a growing civil unrest, entering the upper atmosphere in a matter of hours

January 3, 2024: The Fog descends, making all human conflict appear petty by the standards of what deemed to gaze upon us that day

April 9, 2025: Morbius II: Morbius Takes Manhattan! is released in theaters.

#morbius #unreality

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philsrosesweatshirt · 1 month

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hello (one of the) resident phannie data analyst(s) here with some parasocial stats on dnp’s movie tastes! following: distribution of dan and phil's ratings overall, movies they each rated 5 stars, their lowest-rated movies, and the similarities + differences in their tastes

(lore moment: yes i am a data analyst in my real job. yes i surprised myself with wanting to do this in my spare time. but then i remembered when we read dracula in college (yes i was an english major) and i graphed like, how many times dracula was referred to as vampire versus monster or something. so i shouldn’t be surprised.

first up, their overall rating patterns and by ~special status~ (i.e., wall-e, kill bill, avatar, lmao, plus big hero 6 for the fun of it)

dan’s rated 304 movies and phil’s rated 305. both of them have mean and median ratings of 4 with min 1 and max 5.

both rated kill bill vols. 1 and 2 a 5. wall-e got a 4.5 from dan and a 4 from phil (phake phans). both gave avatar a 3.5. and big hero 6 3.5 (dan) and 4.5 (phil)

rating distribution:

i did analyses here by genre but i need to fix the output (i’m writing all of these based on the markdown document from my phone on the subway, but i need to fix the outputs and i don’t have my computer. so those are pending but there are other genre analyses that i could do & haven’t yet!)

while i was sorting through the data i got the impression that dan overall rated movies higher than phil. so, among movies that they've both rated, here's some information

number of movies dan rated higher than phil: 65

Empire Strikes Back, Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, My Neighbor Totoro, Back to the Future II, Nightmare Before Christmas, Toy Story, Phantom Mence, Donnie Darko, Attack of the Clones, Finding Nemo, Oldboy, The Notebook, Batman Begins, Brokeback Mountain, WALL-E, (500) Days of Summer, Up, The Hangover, Drive, The Cabin in the Woods, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Life of Pi, Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Whiplash, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Room, The Hateful Eight, The Force Awakens, Manchester by the Sea, Deadpool, La La Land, Moonlight, Rogue One, Call Me By Your Name, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2., Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, I, Tonya, Thor: Ragnorak, Phantom Thread, Roma, The Favourite, The Lighthouse, Toy Story 4, Midsommar, Ad Astra, Knives Out, Soul, The Green Knight, No Time to Die, Don't Look Up, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Turning Red, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion, Beau is Afraid, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

number of movies phil rated higher than dan: 55

Star Wars (New Hope), Blair Witch Project, Requiem for a Dream, Memento, Ocean's Eleven, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Moonrise Kingdom, Iron Man 3, Gravity, Prisoners, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Imitation Game, Nightcrawler, John Wick, Gone Girl, Big Hero 6, Jurassic World, The Martian, The Revenant, Nocturnal Animals, Split, Get Out, Baby Driver, The Disaster Artist, Dunkirk, The Shape of Water, The Greatest Showman, The Last Jedi, Ready Player One, Crazy Rich Asians, A Star is Born, Rocketman, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Joker, The Rise of Skywalker, The Invisible Man, A Quiet Place Part II, Greenland, Tenet, Malignant, Eternals, The Matrix Resurrections, Scream (2022), Nope, Prey, Talk to Me, Avatar: The Way of the Water, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

number of movies they rated the same: 99!

Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Se7en, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Spider-Man, Lost in Translation, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Mean Girls, Howl's Moving Castle, Children of Men, The Dark Knight, Pontypool, Inglourious Basterds, Avatar, Toy Story 3, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Black Swan, The Social Network, 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, The Conjuring, Snowpiercer, Her, Thor: The Dark World, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Boyhood, It Follows, Guardians of the Galaxy, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Interstellar, Ex Machina, The Witch, Avengers: The Age of Ultron, Mad Max: Fury Road, Inside Out, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Your Name., Arrival, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, mother!, It, Blade Runner 2049, Hereditary, Black Panther, Annihilation, A Quiet Place, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Us, Avengers: Endgame, Parasite, It Chapter Two, Marriage Story, Uncut Gems, 1917, Black Widow, The Suicide Squad, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dune, Last Night in Soho, The Batman (2022), Everything Everywhere All at Once, X, The Northman, Top Gun: Maverick, Bullet Train, Barbarian, Pearl, M3GAN, Dungeons and Dragongs: Honor Among Thieves, Evil Dead Rise, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., No Hard Feelings, Saltburn, Priscilla, Society of the Snow, Saw X, Leave the World Behind

i didn't analyse this by genre or anything, but i could -- so if you're interested lmk!

the 5 movies with the most different ratings between dan and phil

- Iron Man 2 (dan: 2, phil 3.5)

- The Greatest Showman (d: 2.5, p: 4)

- Malignant (d: 3, p: 4.5)

- Scream (2022) (d: 2.5, p: 4)

- Beau is Afraid (d: 3, p: 1.5)

Interesting that even though dan has more higher rated movies, 4/5 of these ones phil rated higher.

next, their 5-star movies

dan's five stars: 80

Alien, Empire Strikes Back, ET, Blade Runner, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Stand by Me, The Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbor Totoro, Back to the Future II, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Jurassic Park, Nightmare Before Christmas, Schindler's List, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Toy Story, Fargo, Scream, The Fifth Element, Hercules, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Fight Club, Magnolia, The Emperor's New Groove, Donnie Darko, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Finding Nemo, Kill Bill, Oldboy, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Shaun of the Dead, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, Revenge of the Sith, Brokeback Mountain, No Country for Old Men, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Tree of Life, 21 Jump Street, The Avengers, Life of Pi, Skyfall, Under the Skin, Whiplash, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, Sicario, The Hateful Eight, La La Land, Arrival, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, First Man, The Favourite, The Lighthouse, Parasite, Midsommar, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

phil's five stars:

Star Wars (New Hope), Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Requiem for a Dream, Memento, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 21 Jump Street, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Arrival, Dunkirk, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Parasite, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Shawshank Redemption, Gladiator, Little Miss Sunshine

overlap: 39

Alien, ET, Gremlins, Back to the Future, Top Gun, Aliens, Home Alone, Silence of the Lambs, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Scream, The Fifth Element, Titanic, The Truman Show, The Matrix, Magnolia, Spirited Away, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Kill Bill, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Howl's Moving Castle, The Dark Knight, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 21 Jump Street, Interstellar, Mad Max: Fury Road, Arrival, mother!, Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Parasite, Uncut Gems, 1917, Dune, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick

& their lowest rated movies...

dan: matrix resurrections (1) , thor: the dark world (1.5), the rise of skywalker (1.5)

phil: crimes of the future (1), attack of the clones (1.5), thor: the dark world (1.5), don’t look up (1.5), the matrix resurrections (1.5), doctor strange in the multiverse of madness (1.5), beau is afraid (1.5), black bear (1.5)

not even chris hemsworth could save thor the dark world, i guess (kat dennings, though…)

movies they logged on the same date:

note that this is like, non-exhaustive, because this is only based on their diaries that list the date. i think in reality they've watched most of these movies together. frequently dan logged a couple days after phil which aren’t shown here. procrastination queen

Pontypool, Eternals, The Northman, Nope, Barbarian, The Banshees of Inisherin, Glass Onion, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Beau is Afraid, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3., Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Saltburn, Poor Things, Priscilla, Saw X, Leave the World Behind

movies that one logged and not the other:

dan but not phil: 85

The Exorcist, Stand by Me, The Grave of the Fireflies, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Home Alone 2, Schindler's List, Fargo, Romeo & Juliet, Hercules, Men in Black, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Mummy, The 13th Warrior, Fight Club, The Emperor's New Groove, Moulin Rouge, Shrek, Legally Blonde, Monsters, Inc, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Scooby-Doo, 28 Days Later, Matrix Reloaded, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, School of Rock, Matrix Revolutions, Saw, Shaun of the Dead, Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Revenge of the Sith, The Devil Wears Prada, Borat, Casino Royale, No Country for Old Men, Death Proof, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, There Will Be Blood, Tropic Thunder, Slumdog Millionaire, Moon, District 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The King's Speech, We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Tree of Life, X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, Argo, Les Miserables, Django Unchained, World War Z, Pacific Rim, Under the Skin, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, The Babadook, The Lego Movie, x-Men: Days of Future Past, 22 Jump Street, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Theory of Everything, Green Room, Sicario, Spotlight, The Big Short, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Conjuring 2, Train to Busan, Hacksaw Ridge, Doctor Strange, Hidden Figures, Logan, You Were Never Really Here, Game Night, Isle of Dogs, First Man, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Suspiria, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Glass, Hustlers, Pig, Violent Night

phil but not dan: 86

Jaws, The Terminator, Beetlejuice, Die Hard, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Groundhog Day, The Shawshank Redemption, Leon: The Professional, The Usual Suspects, The Frighteners, The Sixth Sense, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, The Green Mile, Gladiator, Catch Me if You Can, Elf, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth, The Prestige, Zodiac, Spider-Man 3, Iron Man, Juno, Lake Mungo, Twilight, Zombieland, Kick-Ass, Brave, Evil Dead, The Great Gatsby, Now You See Me, Monsters University, Man of Steel, About Time, Dallas Buyers Club, Edge of Tomorrow, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The Boy, Raw, Finding Dory, Suicide Squad, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, John Wick: Chapter 2, Lady Bird, The Ritual, Happy Death Day, Deadpool 2, Ocean's 8, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Bird Box, Booksmart, Crawl, Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Platform, Black Bear, Palm Springs, The Empty Man, The Innocents, Titane, Old, Free Guy, The Black Phone, Fresh, Watcher, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Ambulance, Aftersun, Crimes of the Future, Fall, Bones and All, The Menu, Sanctuary, Do Revenge, Smile, Hellraiser (2022), Mr. Harrigan's Phone, Plane, Missing, Infinity Pool, Past Lives, Knock at the Cabin, Scream VI

i’m interested to see how this varies by genre!

miscellaneous non-statistical things that made me parasocially emotional and/or laugh during this process:

they watched nope together on christmas eve 2022 <3

dan rated moulin rouge a 5 <3 nature boy <3

he also rated shrek a 5. of course. (valid).

4.5 from dan and 4 from phil from the notebook

5 from danny for brokeback mountain <3 and a 4.5 from philly

cmbyn, yes, has its issues, but dan rated 4.5 and phil 4

the shape of water got a 4.5 from monsterfucker phil lester (dan gave it a 4)

surprisingly phil rated rocketman higher than dan! surprising because dan liked so many musicals

dan gave hustlers a 3.5. i don't know why i think this is funny, but i do. phil doesn't have it logged or rated, lmao.

a 4 (d) and a 3.5 (p) for barbie!

phil gave twilight a 3. lol.

phil also gave do revenge only a 3.5. tragique.

phil watched a LOT of horror alone in october 2022 (aka while dan was on tour). anyway he's just like me <3

#dan and phil #dnp #phan #dan howell #phil lester #twitter says letterboxd should have been gatekept i say 1) know your phannie history! 2) this is nothing their usernames are so obvious you #think they didn’t know this would be found? be fr!

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najia-cooks · 6 months

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[ID: Sweet potatoes with black, charred skin on a decorative plate. One has been opened to show bright orange flesh, sprinkled with sugar. End ID]

بطاطا حلوة مشوية / Batata hiluwa mashwiyya (Roasted sweet potatoes)

Sweet potatoes are considered a traditional and nostalgic food in Palestine—a gift from the land, a seasonal delicacy, a potentially profitable crop, "red gold." Every fall and winter, as they are grilled in taboon ovens throughout Gaza, their smell fills the air.

This recipe uses a method of preparation common in rural Palestine, which applies direct heat to char the potatoes; the black, crackly skin is then peeled off, leaving tender, steaming, sweet flesh with a roasted aroma. The peeled sweet potato is eaten on its own, or sprinkled with sugar.

The recent history of sweet potatoes in Gaza is a microcosm of Israel's economic control of the region during that time. Though they grow well in Gaza's soil, they are a risky commitment for its farmers, as the seeds or seedlings must be imported from Israel at considerable expense (about 40 shekels, or $10, per plantlet), and they need to be weeded every day and irrigated every other day. Water for irrigation is scarce in Gaza, as Israel drains and contaminates much of the supply.

Nevertheless, the crop would be a profitable one if Gazan farmers were allowed to export it. In the shmita year of 2014, for the first time since the Israeli military's deadly 51-day invasion two months prior, restrictions briefly eased to allow Gazans to export some agricultural products to Europe; the first shipment contained 30 tons of sweet potatoes. However, an estimated 90% of the sweet potato crop was at that time unsuitable for export, having been damaged by Israeli shrapnel. The Gazan Ministry of Agriculture estimated that damages of this kind cost the agricultural sector about 550 million USD during this year.

Gazan economist Maher al-Taba’a holds that Israel temporarily allowing export of a token amount of sweet potatoes “is nothing more than media propaganda which is meant to confuse international audiences" by giving the impression that the siege on Gaza was looser than it had been before the 2014 ceasefire agreement; meanwhile, the number of allowed exports had actually decreased since before the invasion occurred. Gazan farmers, in fact, were not even allowed to export produce to Palestinians in the West Bank until 2017.

The next shmita year (an agricultural sabbath during which ultra-Orthodox Jews allow their fields to lie fallow) began in September of 2021, around the same time as the beginning of the sweet potato harvest. In anticipation of the shmita year, and in keeping with the trickle of Gazan exports that had been allowed into Israel in the intervening years, many farmers had planted more than they otherwise would have. But Israel delayed accepting the imports, leading many farmers to throw away rotting produce, or to sell their produce in the local market for far lower prices than they had been expecting.

Israel's habit of closing off Gaza's exports arbitrarily and without notice recurred during the harvest season of 2022. When Israeli former MK Yaakov Litzman called on Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Oded Forer to import sweet potatoes from Gaza due to a shortage of the produce in Israel, Forer refused, citing Israeli soldiers whom Palestinian resistance fighters had taken hostage as rationale for his decision. Other officials were surprised at the linking of an agricultural matter to a political one.

Farmers had no choice but to enter the harvest season hoping that the decision would be reversed and that their time, labor, money, and scarce water resources would not go to waste. With these last-minute decisions that cause Gazan farmers to be unable to fulfill their contracts, Israel damages the future viability of Gazan exports to European markets.

Support Palestinian resistance by calling Elbit System’s (Israel’s primary weapons manufacturer) landlord and donating to Palestine Action’s bail fund.

Equipment:

A fire, wood-burning oven, gas stove, or broiler

A baking sheet

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes. Choose a variety with red or orange skin and orange flesh, such as garnet or jewel.

Sugar, cinnamon, date syrup, or tahina, to serve.

Instructions:

1. Wash sweet potatoes. Place them at the bottom of a taboon oven, or on a baking sheet or griddle laid over a cooking fire or gas burner. You may also place them on a baking sheet or cast-iron pan inside an oven with a broiler setting.

2. Turn the gas burner on medium-high, or the broiler on low. Heat the sweet potatoes, occasionally rotating them, until their skin is blistered and blackened in multiple places and they are tender all the way through.

3. Remove potatoes and allow them to cool slightly. Slice each potato open lengthwise, or peel away its skin, and eat the interior.

Roasted sweet potatoes may be eaten on their own, or sprinkled with sugar or cinnamon-sugar, or drizzled with date syrup, tahina, chocolate sauce, etc.

#sweet potatoes #gluten free #Palestinian #cooking

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copperbadge · 4 months

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As I think most people do, I look at the year's end as a time for taking stock and evaluating life. I'm sure my ancestors, with the same rampant ADHD that I have, who regularly spent winters cooped up with their entire social network, were rethinking their life choices round about this time every year. I'm sure their loved ones deserve an honorable mention for allowing them to live long enough to eventually produce me. But the point is, I get the idea of using the quiet time between harvest and sowing to really contemplate life.

I don't make New Year's resolutions anymore, though. I was never that into them but the last one I made was to see more live shows and lectures, really get out in the world and experience in-person culture more. That was December of 2019. Seems like tempting fate to ever make another resolution after my last one was legally thwarted by a global pandemic.

These days I prefer to pick themes for years, guided by happenstance. A few years ago when I knew I could afford some home remodeling, I called it the Year of Upgrade. 2022 was the year of Completing Things. (Ironically "completing" the first shivadh novel led to a BUNCH OF STUFF MORE TO COMPLETE.) 2023 didn't really have a theme but I was dealing with a lot so the breathing room was kind of welcome.

This year it's been oddly less abstract but also more symbolic. I've been seeing a lot of mushroom imagery towards the end of the year and a TON of fire imagery -- perhaps more "heat/light" than fire, lots of candle/cookfire/forge stuff, but basically open flames as they involve creative transformation. I joked it was a year of flaming fungi to a friend and she said, "well, fire can't kill them in a way that matters either" which struck me.

I think 2024 may involve being very durable in the process of changing. Worrying, but then again are we not always on some level worried about my fragile mortal husk? I definitely am. I took some powerful (legal, medically supervised) relaxants the other day and I think I sprained a muscle in my calf from moving my leg after just...not being tense for an hour. I hurt myself by relaxing.

I know eyelids aren't supposed to twitch like this, I'm taking potassium about it, it's fine.

I did just get a clean bill of health, though. Blood tests show I'm super normal except in ways we already knew I was weird (personality, skin ph, etc).

I like to think of it as spiritual durability, anyway. Physically I'm the manifestation of a hapless gesture, but emotionally I'm a mushroom on fire, yelling encouraging threats as I speed past. Where am I going? Mind your business. Why am I screaming encouraging threats? I'm a mushroom on fire. Why, is it not working?

Anyway, happy new year. Mind how you go, my fellow flaming porcini. I'm off to cook a pot roast, tell some fortunes, and berate some ghosts.

#sam has adhd #new year #new me #in my exciting new presentation as the most metal poster in a midwestern head shop in 1972

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youkissedareaderinthedark · 9 months

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Waiting

Synopsis: It’s never the right time for Y/n and Max. It takes the right place to get them together

female reader x max verstappen

(this fic is set from 2018 to 2022, ik it’s not ideal that it’s set in the past but it’s the timeline that made the most sense for the story)

It’s 2018 and life is good for Max Verstappen. He’s three months away from entering the new race season and he’s just coming off a fairly successful one. He’s got a pretty good car, a team that believes in him, and a country that supports him. Things in his career were changing, getting more serious, and Max decides he might be due a new place to live.

Maybe not to live full time, just a place to go home to after a long weekend. He loves his mom and sister, Victoria, but flying back to Belgium almost every week was a hassle, and he needs someplace that made his lifestyle easier. A few drivers live in Monaco, that might be a contender. It's in the middle of Europe, so close to most of the races, it has a lot of privacy, traveling to and from there is easy, and of course the tax benefits, so why not?

Max spends a few days thinking and researching Monte Carlo. He talks to his friend and Monaco resident, Daniel Ricciardo, who, predictably, loves the idea, and then talks to his mom and Victoria about it. The three of them come up with the idea that Max buys an apartment in Monte Carlo, lives there during the race season, and comes home during gaps in the schedule, summer break, and after the season ends.

The Verstappen family finds a suitable apartment and once it’s bought, they spend a few days scrambling around to the house trying to decide what Max should bring and what he should leave. It’s December, so Max will spend the rest of 2018 at home with his mom and Victoria before leaving for Monaco in January.

Max liked Monaco from the first time he traveled there to race and fell in love with it when it became the place he’d call home for a while. He gazed at the tall trees and the turquoise water and even though it was winter, it looked like a summer paradise.

All of his stuff from home wasn’t supposed to get here until tomorrow, possibly later if the shipping company was dodgy, so all he had to live off was the carry-on and two suitcases he brought on the plane with him. His mother helped him plan what furniture he should buy for his place, and he figured he should get a move on that if he wanted a place to sit for dinner tonight.

The apartment complex he chose was nice, almost luxurious, and even though money was not a problem, not crazily expensive. Two bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a nice kitchen even though Max couldn’t cook very well, it was good. It was semi-furnished, the kitchen and bathroom were basically done, but the bedrooms, living room, and dining room were empty so he would spend the next few days at furniture stores.

It’s Day 7 of living in the new apartment and Max is fumbling with the parts of a coffee table. When he suddenly hears a beeping noise coming from below him. The apartment downstairs. He figures.

Probably just an alarm. Is what Max thinks until the beeping noise doesn’t stop, and the Dutch realizes it’s a fire alarm. It’s fine. It’ll turn off in a second. But then Max hears a muffled voice and a clanking noise, then repeated thwacking noises, against his floor?

Curiosity killed the cat, but Max decides curiosity could also be fun and before he can stop himself, he’s walking out of his apartment and towards the elevator.

He does the math on which room would be the one below his on the way down and is knocking at the door he thinks is the correct one. “Hold on!” A voice calls through the muffled alarm. He hears another faint curse before the door swings open and reveals a woman, probably around his age, looking frazzled and a bit panicked.

“Hi. Are you okay?” The words tumble out of his mouth and Max realizes he’s had no idea what he’s doing until now. “No. Can you help me turn that stupid thing off?” You reply as if he is not a stranger, and this is totally normal.

Why not? He thinks before saying it out loud, and you open the door wider to reveal a smokey kitchen. “The smoke alarm is up there, I just forgot how to turn it off” You point to the detector on the ceiling near your fridge. The 21-year-old steps onto the chair that is strategically placed underneath it and uses the little knowledge of fire safety he learned in a health class in high school to disable the alarm.

“Oh. Thanks” you say as he steps down. “I’ve just realized I haven’t seen you before, did you just move in?”

“Yes, I moved to Monaco and started living here about a week ago. I’m Max, by the way, I live in the apartment above yours” He sticks out his arm in a handshake.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/n. I’ve been living here for three years, so if you need something, just let me know” You smile and he’s glad he now knows someone in the building.

“Thanks, I’ll see you around” you say the same as Max turns and lets himself out of your room. The man realizes as he gets into the elevator that he has no clue if something was on fire or not, or if you were okay or not. Well, I’ll see her around, I’ll ask then.

You don’t see Max again until the middle of the night, about two months later. You don’t know it, but Max has just returned from the first race in Australia and is trudging back to his apartment from the airport, desperate to get some sleep. You’re walking to the elevator, just coming back from a midnight snack excursion to the vending machine on his floor. “Oh hey. Max right? You okay?” You ask with what he deems too much energy.

You're wearing what looks like pajamas, a Monte Carlo crewneck and a pair of shorts. “Fine, just tired” He’s really not in the mood to talk, but he doesn’t think this will last long. “You want a cookie?” You’re holding a bag of his favorite biscuits, ones that he thought he could only get in Belgium, and surprises himself when he nods his head. “Why not” And takes it from your hands. “Thanks Y/n” The driver is already walking away. “Goodnight Max”

Strangely enough, the same thing happens when Max gets back from Bahrain. It’s like a replay from the last interaction; You’re in pajamas, carrying a bag of cookies, and he’s trekking down the hallway to his flat. “Hi Max, you want a cookie?” Without hesitation, he grabs the one in your hand, and with a yawn-covered thank you, he’s turned around and heading back to his original destination.

Instead of a two-month gap between your encounters, Max sees you the next day. It’s 10am, and the driver decides to utilize the balcony attached to the apartment. Every apartment has one, and because of the side of the building his room is on, it faces a view of the Monegasque streets and the ocean in the background. It’s a beautiful sight, so Max should probably be more surprised when he hears someone else outside.

Soft music, the clattering of utensils, and occasionally the sliding of doors, all audible and coming from the apartment below him. Max looks over the railing from his seat at the edge of the platform and sees you. “Hi Y/n” His mouth is calling out before his brain can stop it. You look up and smile. “Good morning, Max” You pause for a moment, wondering what to talk about with the kind-of-stranger that lives above you.

“Were you just coming home from vacation last night?” You remember the suitcase by his side and the tired expression on his face that only someone that has been away from home can have.

“I mean, I was away, I wouldn’t call it vacation though” You two have to shout to be able to hear the other clearly and even though it’s piercing the calm morning air, neither of you seem to mind. “So a work trip, then?”

“Yeah”

“What do you do for work?”

“It’s a secret” Now, Max is not sure why he says that. Maybe because he doesn’t want his neighbor and possibly friend to know he’s a high-profile Formula 1 Driver. Maybe he just doesn’t feel like telling a neighbor and possible stranger his work. Or maybe he just feels like being difficult.

“A secret?” You shout back. “Yes! A secret!”

“Well can I know the secret?”

“No! Then it wouldn’t be a secret!”

“Fine! When do I get to know the secret?” Max pauses for a second, contemplating his options.

“I’ll surprise you. One day I will just tell you. Out of nowhere”

“What if I don’t see you for another month?”

“Then you’ll have to find a way to see me!”

“Fine!” It’s a word that is usually shouted in frustration, but the Dutch man hears the smile in your voice and is surprised to feel his own face twisted into a grin.

You take Max’s words as a challenge and you’re not going to lose. The next few days, you go up to your neighbor’s floor multiple times, hoping to catch him leaving or going. You step out onto your balcony in the morning and again at night, shouting, looking for his accented voice. You even wandered up at midnight a few times, anticipating him to come walking tiredly down the hall again. You can’t exactly figure out why you’re so anxious to know this secret your neighbor has, you just know that you do.

So two weeks later, when you’ve very nearly forgotten about this whole ‘secret career’ business, you see him trudging down the hall again, you ignore his tired face and speak maybe too loudly for 1am. “Did you just get back from your secret work trip?” A smirk comes onto your neighbor’s face.

“Maybe” He continues walking, even ignoring the bag of cookies in your hand. “If I see you tomorrow, will you tell me?”

“Maybe” And then he’s turned the key into his door lock and is gone.

The next morning, you’re out on your balcony as usual, eating breakfast while listening to music, when you faintly hear the slide of a door coming from above you. You pause the song playing on your phone and wait. Max knows you’ve heard him and he interrupts the silence. “Good morning, Y/n”

“Hi, Max. Long night?”

“Long few days, yes”

“Wait, I’ll be right back” You quickly hurry inside to retrieve the bag of cookies you didn’t finish last night and bring them out onto the platform.

“Will you tell me now?” Then with the best angle you can manage, throw them directly up and hopefully over to his balcony. He catches them and thinks back to a few hours ago. “Weren’t you eating these last night?” “Don’t worry, I only eat like three” You hear the bag crinkle, and then his voice.

“I am a Formula 1 driver” You’re eyes widen. You’ve had a lot of time to think about all the possible secret careers Max could have, and while celebrity was one of them, you did not expect that. Just as you hear the sliding door open again, you move to shout. “Wait! Tell me about it”

Of course you knew what Formula 1 was, everyone who lived in Monaco did, but you didn’t know much about it since you only pay attention to it when it comes to your country. “Okay. But I don’t want to yell anymore, come up and I will tell you” And surprisingly, he does.

Without a touch of discomfort, Max answers any questions you have and asks a few of his own. You tell him that you got the opportunity to go to the International School of Monaco and moved into this apartment so you could attend. You tell him about the life waiting for you back home, the place you would go return to in a few months.

“So, you are moving back there soon?” He asked. “Yeah. Not immediately though. I’m gonna stay until summer ends and if I haven’t found a good job by then, I’m leaving”

“I will be the best neighbor possible then” By August, you can safely say he was.

Max told you about his schedule for racing and you told him about yours for school, though much simpler than the one he lived by. You make a tradition of welcoming him home with a bag of cookies, whether it be minutes before 12 Sunday night, or just as the sun begins to set Monday evening.

Max makes a habit of going down to your balcony every time he returns from a race, either for Monday breakfast or dinner. You both sit and watch the Monegasque view with awe before you either have to go to class or start your homework. Due to the crazy prices, you’ve never attended the Monte Carlo race, you usually just watch from the balcony of the other neighbor you’re friends with that lives across from you but Max surprises you with a ticket after he asks you whether you’d be interested in going or not.

You cheer with your friends from your spot on a balcony above the track when he goes P4 and the two of you enjoy the biscuits together that night.

In June, Max celebrates your graduation with you and your friends from university, who have accepted Max into the friend group by now. The eight of you spend a week basically living at the beach and enjoying life just as young adults before Max goes back to racing and the seven of you have to find jobs.

The summer break is in August and Max goes back to Belgium to spend it with his mom and Victoria, while you are in Monaco, looking for the job that will keep you there. You loved your home country, you loved your family and high school friends there and everything it had to offer you, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t over-the-moon excited once your acceptance letter for the International School of Monaco came in. Nothing was chasing you away, but so much from Monte Carlo was keeping you there.

When Max returns at the end of August, he has no idea whether you’re still there or not. He has your phone number and you two have been texting back and forth through the weeks, but you play his own card when you tell him, “It’s a secret”

Like he has done so many times before, Max is standing tiredly in the elevator of the apartment building he’s just returned to from the airport and is terrified when the lift stops, and you step in matching him all the way down from the drowsy eyes to the two suitcases at his side.

“No” he says, face stretched into disbelief. “No way” He tries to look into your eyes, but your head is tilted down. “Tell me you got a job”

It’s silent for a moment, and Max thinks you haven’t when suddenly you’re grinning, and the suitcases fall open, revealing themselves to be empty. “Okay. I got a job” A laugh falls out of your mouth and the Dutch pulls you into a hug, trying to wave the sadness off.

“Oh my god, that was not funny! Don’t do that again!” He scolds you but he’s laughing as well.

“You found one though? You will stay?” He suddenly pulls back, hands on your shoulders looking for the only answer he’ll accept. “Yeah, I found one. It’s good too, I got a salary and proper days off to see my family and everything. I’m staying” Your eyes are sparkling with joy and Max wants them to stay that way.

“Thank god, I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t have you here, keeping me sane” “Me either” You hug one more time before Max says, “C’mon, you are buying me the biscuits now, that was mean” “Oh, I’m mean? What about when...” And you two continue to banter all the way up to the floor that is not yours but feels like it could be.

The Formula 1 season starts again in September and the traditions between you two remain but are more appreciated. You have no more homework to do after dinner, so Max comes down almost nightly to sit on your balcony or at your dining table and listen to the music you’ve chosen. You still eat breakfast with him every Monday morning if he’s home before you go to work, and when you return, sometimes Max joins you in grocery shopping after one too many complaints about the food you make for dinner.

“If you don’t like it, go make it yourself Verstappen! I am not your maid and you do not have to be here” The neighbors next to his apartment could probably hear you, so Max just offers to buy the groceries himself somedays.

You two don’t fight often but when you do, it usually takes a few days the silent treatment until one of you swallows your stubbornness and pride and apologizes with a peace offering. The driver doesn’t like it when you fight, but he finds it a bit funny when you do because it’s always when you get annoyed by his complaints or when he’s tired of you forgetting stuff at his apartment. It reminds him of a married couple fighting. A couple. You remind him of a couple. Max decides he likes the sound of that.

Max also decides he loves the hugs you give him after he returns from a race, good or bad. He decides he loves coming to your apartment before you make dinner so he can help you cook. He decides he loves the gesture of you two making a key for each other because Max didn’t think it was a good idea for you to have your door unlocked for him most of the time. He decides he doesn’t mind you forgetting your belongings in his apartment because sometimes once you notice they’re gone, you leave them at his apartment for him to use. By the middle of October, the final thing Max Verstappen decides is that he likes you.

When Max walks into the Red Bull Garage Friday afternoon for the Japanese Grand Prix thinking bout these decisions, he sees a woman sitting in one of the chairs and a toddler in the one next to her. The woman must feel his gaze because she looks up. “Hi Max, I’m Kelly. Nice to meet you”

And then suddenly the woman is not a stranger. She’s smiling a mind-numbing smile and Max isn’t thinking when he says yes to having lunch with her Monday afternoon. He isn’t thinking when he says yes to extending his hotel in Japan so they can spend more time together. He isn’t thinking when he flies back to Monaco with her next to him and he goes back to her apartment, not his. His brain only starts to work when he sees it’s almost midnight on Thursday and he realizes he hasn’t gone home yet.

He hasn’t gone home to you, and he doesn’t know how you’ll react. Shit, he doesn’t even know how he’s reacting. Max has just figured out that he likes you, but he’s been in another woman’s house for two days.

Both you and Max have brought people home to your apartments. One of you will go to the other’s place and when they realize the door is locked, they don’t knock and wait for the other to answer, they give the other privacy and say good morning the next day as if nothing happened. There have been one-night stands but never two-night stands; You’ve been in relationships since moving to the building but not since Max moved in, and vice versa for him. You’ve never introduced someone to each other, and now he’s gone and ghosted you.

The driver doesn’t hesitate to gather his things and head back to the complex. It’s not Monday so you have no reason to be up late when you have work in the morning, and somehow, he knows he won’t see you until dinner the next day.

You don’t ask Max where he’s been. You don’t send him a million text messages and you don’t call a thousand times. You want to, because you’re worried about him, but you don’t because somehow, you know. You think it’s when of those unspoken girl things. Even though you don’t know the woman, you know she exists, and you know it’s time for you to step back so she can step in. With this realization, you wave your sadness away as if it was an annoying fly, push your feelings back into your heart where they belong and should never get out, and continue with your day.

When Max opens the door to your apartment Friday evening to have dinner with you, you don’t ask him where he’s been, you just congratulate him about Sunday’s race and tell him that you’ve made plans with your friend group to go out for dinner.

“There’re no reservations, so you can come last minute if you want. I just didn’t feel like making anything and missed everyone, y’know?” “Yeah” The Dutch swallows the lump in his throat. “Yeah, I’ll come. Are we leaving now?” “Yeah, it’s at that one place on...”

Max follows you down the hall and in the silence between you two, he realizes that you know that he met Kelly, and that you both know this is someone he will introduce to you.

The Red Bull driver thinks he thought the action into existence because when Max comes home from Abu Dhabi, Kelly Piquet is by his side. You don’t need Max to tell you, you hear his voice and a woman’s come from his apartment when you’re eating breakfast on your balcony Monday morning. It’s getting cold. You use it as an excuse to eat at your dining table inside until you feel warm again.

You haven’t talked much to Max since the end of October because you rarely see each other. The races are all back-to-back until Abu Dhabi and when Max isn’t traveling, he’s at her apartment. You’re spending more time at work getting ready for Christmas and are glad for the distraction. Your coworkers tell you that everything at the building is ‘double-time’ to get ready for the break and it’s bittersweet because it takes a lot of effort to get it all done in time but knowing you don’t have to think about work during the break and the money you get paid makes it worth it.

You can’t avoid the couple forever though, and that fact proves itself when you run into them in December. Today was the last day at work before Christmas break, and you’re checked out. Even though it was nearly 8’o clock at night when you left the building and was exhausted, you rushed into your apartment to get the suitcases you’d gratefully already packed and leave for the flight you had to catch.

You’re not paying attention when you step into the elevator, looking down at your phone to get music playing through your headphones, when Max calls your name.

“Oh, hey Max” You look at the woman next to you and just as you’re about to introduce yourself, Max does it for you. “Kelly, this is Y/n, she lives in the apartment below me” “Hi, Y/n, so nice to meet you” She shoots a charming smile at you, and you do your best to give her a real one.

“Hi Kelly, nice to meet you” You’re glad neither of them tries any small talk with you and ride the elevator down to the lobby fixing your headphones in silence. “Have a good Christmas, Y/n” Max says on the way down and you realize that he has become just like any other neighbor, one that you ride the elevator in silence with and just wish each other happy holidays when you converse.

It’s sad, what you two have become, but you know better than to try to go back to the way things were before. “You too Max, and you too Kelly” You smile at the two of them before exiting the lift, dragging your suitcase behind you.

A holiday with your family and high school friends turns out to be exactly what you needed. You love Monaco and are glad to be living there, but there’s something comforting about your hometown that no other place can bring. With everyone’s work out of the way, you spend Christmas decorating the house with your family and shopping for presents with your friends.

You let yourself forget about Monte Carlo for a few days and submerge yourself in the safety of your home. It’s refreshing, it’s loving, and it’s welcomed. New Years is fun; You spend some time with family before going out at night to celebrate with your friends and your New Year’s Resolution is to come home more often.

You return to your apartment in January and let the Monegasque winter cool you. You don’t know where Max is, you haven’t texted him since New Years, and that was just a “Happy 2020” message and just assumed he was either in Belgium or with Kelly. You try to make yourself not care and it’s almost easy because at this point, Max barely lives above you anymore.

You focus in on work again and spend time with your friends whenever you can. It’s enjoyable and even though it’s not exactly what you imagined, it’s nice nonetheless.

This lifestyle takes you to March, when something you could’ve never imagined happens. The Corona Virus is announced as a world-wide pandemic and Monaco is shut down. Your work is forced online and suddenly you’re in your apartment building all the time.

You’re friends with the woman that lives across the hall from you, Andy; she’s two years older than you but she was the first person to welcome you to the building and you have a good friendship. You two are suddenly traveling between the two apartments all day, looking for anything to do while you’re trapped inside. Her family lives in France, so like you, she’s living alone and you guys' bond over that.

She reminds you of Max, who just then remembers he lives there and comes back a few days after the pandemic was announced. You’re on your balcony, gazing out at the empty streets of Monte Carlo that you are not used to, when his voice calls out from above. “Hey Y/n”

“Oh, hey. Max right? Did you just move in?” You joke, but the sentence has serious and slightly angry undertones, and you don’t try to hide it.

“I’ve just been away. Not exactly on vacation, something between that and work” He lets your joke run on for a second before breaking it. “But seriously, how are you? We haven’t talked in a while”

“I’m good. I’ve just been working and hanging out with my friends. Well, not anymore, obviously. It’s usually just me and Andy”

“Who is Andy?”

Over a year living there and he still barely knows anyone besides you. “The woman that lives across the hall from me”

“Oh, yeah. Andy”

Max still has no idea who she is, but he doesn’t want to stop talking to you. He realizes he will have to break the ice first. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. I’ve been at Kelly’s place a lot and whenever I am here, I can never find you”

“It’s okay. We’ve both been busy with different things”

Just as the driver is about to interrupt, saying that it’s not okay, when you start to talk.

“Why aren’t you with Kelly, by the way?”

“She decided to go back to France to be with her family. She has a young daughter, Penelope, and Kelly wants her to be surrounded by family, not stuck in the house with her mother all the time. She said she’d be back when this is all over, but who knows when that will be”

“Sorry, Max” You don’t know if this means they’ve broken up, but apologizing seems like the right thing to do. You two are silent for a moment.

“Y/n. What are we going to do?”

“Well, me and Andy have a few ideas”

And in the way male/female friendships work, you two are acting like no time passed since the last time Max ate dinner at your house. Immediately, you, Max, and Andy are spending every non-working moment with each other, desparate to interact with someone that is not on a screen.

You three take advantage of the empty streets of Monte Carlo; going on walks whenever you want, lying on the beach even in the cool April air, and seeing every sight that is usually too crowded to enjoy. Your trio enjoys the rooftop all residents have access to and litter it with whatever outside activities fit. You binge watch a lot of shows, switching between Max’s apartment, yours, and Andy’s to view them in. In May, Andy convinces you and Max to try art as a way of passing time, and it brings many trips to the nearest craft store.

By June, Max has wall art and your fingertips are burnt from all the times your hot glue gun scorched you. He’s also reconnected with the friends you once shared, and after Andy joins the group, the nine of you spend the hot days lying in the sun at the beach and wading in the pool outside your building. The other members of your friend group are spread throughout Monaco due to their work, but because the world has literally stopped, they aren’t worried about having trouble getting to you three.

The Formula 1 season starts again, and you and your friends fill the weekends by trying to learn more about F1, half for Max’s sake and half because you’re all bored.

Everyone is stir crazy, so you’re glad that by July, plane tickets are available and after spending nearly five months together, every single one of you spends at least a week with your families and away from each other. It’s not summer break for drivers yet, so Max hangs around the people he’s friends within the paddock.

The Red Bull driver does spend his break with Kelly though. He travels to France and spends a week getting to know Kelly again and playing with her daughter. He doesn’t know where their relationship stands. They were officially dating before the pandemic started, and they decided to go on a break while it was going on. Kelly invited him in hopes of figuring out their relationship and what they want to do when the world goes back to normal.

After talking about how they feel, what’d it be like if they were together again, and everything that would have to change for them to work. After spending five months apart, Max isn’t sure he wants the same things he did in February, so the couple breaks up for now, and he goes back to Belgium to spend much-needed time with his mom and sister.

You return from your vacation much like last year’s holiday break, refreshed and prepared for whatever the world could throw at you, as long as it’s not another pandemic. Everything is definitely not back to normal but it’s more normal than it was in March, so you appreciate it.

By September, half your work week is in person and Monaco gets a bit of life back. Your neighbor gets a bit of his life back as well; Max told you about him and Kelly, and things aren’t 100% normal with you two yet, but it’s definitely getting there.

Due to your enthusiasm, Halloween brings you two back together and on the 31st, Max is on your balcony, eating a bag of cookies from the vending machine, and watching little kids trick or treat beneath you. Not many kids live in your building, but you buy a bag of candy just in case someone shows up and share it with the man next to you while you wait.

In the cool November air, Max comes over for dinner nightly and when Andy isn’t with her boyfriend, she’s there too. There are only three races left in the 2020 racing season, but Max uses them to visit your balcony and eat breakfast with you on Mondays. You only have about a week left until the holiday rush starts in your building again, so you frequent your friend’s apartment and bother him with all the things you two should do with your friends for the holiday season.

You convince Max to buy a fake Christmas tree, but he draws the line at decorating gingerbread houses. You make him watch Christmas movies with you and he pretends to hate every one of them, but when you each have a blanket wrapped around your shoulders and a cup of hot chocolate warming your hands, you know he’s enjoying it.

Your neighbor goes back to Belgium for the holidays so it’s just you until your work stops for the break. The rush is a little less stressful than it was last year because you’re not a rookie anymore, but you still don’t appreciate going home way after your original hours end.

Clocking out and the overtime check you receive after is sweeter this year, partly because you don’t run into any girlfriends on your way out of the building and to the airport to catch your flight home. You're glad to see your hometown keeping its holiday charm and holding on to traditions that track all the way back to your childhood.

You party on New Years with your friends and a few days into 2021, you’re on another plane back to Monaco and everything waiting there for you.

You don’t spend much time with Max though; when you see him after you’ve finished unpacking, he tells you that’s he’s flying to England to Red Bull Headquarters for a while to start preparing for the upcoming race season. He tells you that Red Bull is supposed to be a serious contender for the Driver’s Championship this year and he can’t disappoint. Understandably, you nod, telling him ‘Good luck’ and see him off when he leaves a few days later.

You wish you had more time with him. When you look back, you realize you spend a lot of time with Max, but it never seems like enough. You wished time would move slower in the mornings, so you two could sit in the Monegasque quiet and watch the tide come in and out while you eat breakfast. You wish he came to your apartment earlier for dinner so he can “help” or really just watch and hand you ingredients and read off instructions for the recipes to you.

You tell yourself you shouldn’t wish these things, that he and Kelly could get back together any day, and that you shouldn’t get attached because you know his career will take him all over the globe. But then your heart speaks up, telling you to enjoy the time you have with him, and you listen.

Your neighbor returns on the cusp of February and is prepared to surprise you from his balcony, when he sees a man out on yours. Looking down, instead spotting you reading or eating, there’s a man, sitting on what Max deems his chair, sipping out of a glass. You’re nowhere to be found, probably serving yourself inside, and the Dutch hurries to close his doors when he hears yours open.

Max assumes he’s just one of your lovers, but when he comes outside a day later, the same man is again sitting in his chair, eating off one of your plates.

Fine, a two night-stand, he thinks, but is wrong when he checks again a day later, and still sees the same man sitting in his chair, drinking out of one of your mugs.

This time you are out there as well, and Max doesn’t hesitate to shout to you. “Y/n! Hey Y/n!” You look up. “Oh, hey Max! You want to come over for dinner later?”

It’s about 2 in the afternoon, and Max hopes that man is gone by then. “Yes, sure. Who is your friend?” The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them.

“That’s Adrien” You are interrupted by your friend speaking. “Hi. I’m not eating here mate, don’t worry” Adrien has a French accent and even though Max has never minded them before, he doesn’t like them now. And I am not your mate. He thinks, before shouting down to you again, “I don’t care, mate. See you later, Y/n” And without waiting for your response, the driver goes back inside and closes his back door.

Instead of coming around 6 when Max knows the food will be done already, he walks to your apartment at 5 to help you cook and see if your friend has left. Unlike almost every time Max has stood in front of your door, he knocks and waits for you to open the door. “Hey” You’re about to say that he doesn’t have to knock and wait, then he can come in anytime, then remember Adrien and stop your mouth from saying those words.

“Your friend has left?” he asks, taking off his shoes. You hum yes and move to the kitchen to continue cooking. You tell Max about him over the music playing in the background.

You met him during your third year of college and bonded over the class you had together. You stayed friends during your final year and Max is about to ask why he isn’t a part of the friend group he met when you all graduated, when you tell him Adrien left school after final exams were done to leave for England. “He’s training to be a doctor, and he wanted to get a head start on preparing for the course set to start in August”

Apparently, he’d been living in the UK all this time, and came back to study under a doctor here in Monaco as in intern. “He told me he wanted to surprise me and asked one of our friends where I lived. Kind of creepy, but I haven’t seen him in a while, so I guess it's okay? He was friends with everyone, but then he left, and nobody knew when he was coming back”

You also tell him that Adrien grew up in France, and that he doesn’t like motorsport. You say the last one with a teasing smile, and while Max rolls his eyes, he mentally adds it to the list of things not to like about Adrien.

Max fills you in on everything he did at Red Bull headquarters and for a while, it feels like nothing ever changed. A Netflix show plays while you semi pay attention and Max cleans up, something he first insisted on doing ages ago. You say goodnight a couple hours later and then your routine starts again.

You and Max see more of Adrien as time passes. He’s staying in Monaco for a full year, and he seemingly wants to catch up with his college friends. Every Friday night, you all go out to eat and as often as they can, Max and Andy go with you.

You see him more often though, as he usually comes to your apartment on Sundays. It’s an old tradition you two had in college; you would go over to his dorm and watch either a football match or a movie. Sunday is your day off from work though, and you usually spend it with Max, so you tell him he can come over once the Formula 1 season starts.

When the race in Bahrain begins, you convince him to skip that day’s match and watch the race with you. Predictably, he loses interest quickly and while you cheer on Max’s podium finish, he sits on his phone, waiting for you to change the channel.

This is how it goes for months. You go to work and hang out with Max during the week. You go out to dinner on Friday nights, and when Max leaves for a race, Adrien comes over and keeps you company while you cheer on your neighbor.

When the cars come to Monaco, you are standing above the track with the Dutch fans, breathing in the warm May air and listening to the roar of each engine. Max goes P1 and you nearly lose your voice shouting. You also met his mom and Victoria; they were in the same section you were in and without even realizing they were related to your best friend; you become friends with them, and they help you find your way down to where Max was allowed to see you. You went home while he stayed out with the other drivers and left a bag of cookies in his kitchen before going to bed.

As the racing season goes on, so does yours and Adrien’s friendship. You still make him watch the race every Sunday but let him pick what you watch afterwards and what you two eat for lunch.

Adrien was a good friend to you back in college. He did his best to help you understand the class you shared together, no matter how many late nights it took. He vouched for you when you came in late and didn’t hesitate to give you whatever snack he had in his bag. You two spent a lot of time together on campus and would be lying if you said you didn’t miss him.

One Sunday night in August, after you and him spent the afternoon out in Monte Carlo, you’ve migrated back to your apartment and onto the balcony, now recalling memories of your college days. Max is in Belgium for the summer break, and your friends are all doing their own things.

“Remember the water balloon fight between my dorm and yours?” You say, both of you collapsing into laughter. “Of course, I remember! You soaked my brand new shirt!” Adrien exclaims.

“You threw one at my shoes! I needed to get revenge” You defended. “And then I got revenge by chasing you all over your room”

“Didn’t we break a lamp?” You remember.

“You did, I did not”

“Yes you did! When you grabbed me, I fell and then you fell on top of me” You trailed off, thinking back to that day.

“Then I fell, and...” You both fall into silence, recalling the look in his eyes and the hesitancy between both of you.

“And then, I wanted to kiss you” Adrien says, turning to you. The mood shifts, neither of you laughing anymore. “I wanted to kiss you then, and I want to kiss you now. I’ve missed you, Y/n. When I first heard of the internship of Monaco, I was the first name signed up. I came for the experience, yes, but I also came for you”

When you hear this, you don’t know what to think. You remember having feelings for Adrien two years ago and missing him terribly after he left, but a lot has changed since you graduated. You loved the days you spent with him, but you remember the days you spent with Max, too.

A part of you wants to get up and tell him no, tell him that you like someone else and that he is too late, but then another part of you thinks of Max, and how you are not even certain of your feelings for him, and that you don’t know if he feels the same way.

Max is thousands of miles away right now, and Adrien is right in front of you. So you stop reaching into your heart for feelings for Max and extend your hand onto Adrien’s face to pull him closer to you. His lips press against yours and you wallow in the feeling to ignore the fact that you are not thinking, and how sometimes it is easier not to.

Because the race after the summer break is in Belgium, Max stays with his mom and doesn’t come back to his apartment until Monday afternoon, 24 hours after he went P1 at Spa-Francorchamps. He comes to your apartment for dinner as usual and because he does not see Adrien there, he assumes he was never there at all.

Max continues to think nothing has changed since he left Monaco and you can’t really blame him. Adrien has taken you out on a few dates since you kissed on your balcony, but nothing is official yet, so you don’t bother to tell your neighbor anything.

The most PDA you two express in front of other people is a kiss on the cheek, and to Max, could be very platonic, so he doesn’t think anything of it. The Dutch carries on with his regular routine of excelling on track, celebrating at your apartment with a bag of cookies, then coming by throughout the week to hang out until he has to leave again.

You spend Halloween with the rest of your friend group this year by watching horror movies on one of their couches and picking out of a candy bowl. By then, Adrien has asked you to be his girlfriend, and now spends entire weekends at your apartment. You don’t tell your friend group until the beginning of November and for the most part, they’re all happy for you.

The Red Bull driver though, does not know how to feel. He doesn’t exactly know what will change between you two, but he does know that he doesn’t want it to. Max thought it would just be you two for a while, traveling between your apartments, supporting the other’s career, and always being there for one another when his car underperforms, and your work is too stressful. He knew there’d be someone else one of these days, he just didn’t think there’d be someone else now.

Max tries to think back to what you did when he dated Kelly and even though he didn’t particularly like it, he tried to stay away. On weekends where there was no race scheduled, he’d stay out of your apartment after he saw Adrien entering one Friday night and not leave until Sunday night.

He walked down to yours for dinner one evening, then stopped after seeing Adrien’s hoodie on the back of your couch. He goes out on his balcony less because more often than not, you and your boyfriend were out there, eating and laughing for too long to Max’s liking.

The Dutch knows he has no claim over you, that he should not be upset he’s distancing himself from a girl he insists is only his best friend, but he can’t help feeling jealous and disliking Adrien.

You are happy, but you could be happier. Adrien is wonderful; he’s handsome, he’s gentlemanly, he takes you out on nice dates, and he always makes time for you, but it just doesn’t feel as great as it sounds. You think you two work better as friends, you don’t see a future in the Frenchmen and there’s no spark between you two. You’re happy to be in a relationship, but what good is a boring relationship?

You miss Max. You appreciate him distancing himself out of respect, but you’d rather be hanging out in his apartment than Adrien coming over to yours every possible moment.

While you’re walking into your apartment building late in November, you think that this isn’t at all fair to your boyfriend and are thinking of how and when to break up with him when you see Max. “Hey Max” You smile at him. “Hey Y/n” He pauses for a moment.

“Listen, there is a race mid-December, and I know you like to spend your entire break with your family, but you remember when I told you that I’m competing with Hamilton for the championship this year?” He asks, recalling your text conversation a few weeks ago.

“Yeah?”

“Well, if we continue to tie in the points, and I win the race in December, I would win the Driver’s championship and...I want you to be there” His voice lowers as he finishes his sentence.

“I could reserve a ticket for you, and you would fly to Abu Dhabi with me there and back and you’d get home in time to spend Christmas with your family-” You cut him off.

“Max. I’d love to watch the race. I want to be there when you become World Champion” You grin at him, and he smiles back relieved. “Okay, I will come by later and we’ll talk about it, yeah?” You nod and exit the elevator once it stops at your floor.

You call Adrien when you get inside who was planning on coming by for dinner to let him know that you have to cancel. He sounds a bit dissapointed, but you’d see him in a few days, you weren’t worried.

A few hours later, you have a ticket alongside Max to Abu Dhabi from Thursday morning to Sunday night. The rest of November and the middle of December go by quickly. as predicted.

Your work keeps you busy, and any free time you have in spent preparing for the race and your trip home Monday afternoon. Before you realize, it’s 6am and Max is knocking at your door to collect you for the drive to the airport.

Though tired and a bit stressed, you and Max talk and laugh the entire way through the airport and take turns annoying the other on the plane. When you arrive hours later, Max leaves to the paddock to do media duties and puts you in charge of planning what you do that night.

The Dutch is friends with multiple other drivers on the grid but wants to spend all the time he can with you. When you told Adrien you were taking this trip with Max, he was unsure about his girlfriend spending 4 days with the man she tells him not to worry about, but he can see how much you want to go and sends you off with a kiss and a message to have fun.

You watch FP1 and 2 from the best seat Max could get you without bringing too much attention to you and he meets you in the parking lot when he’s given the okay to leave. You two spend the rest of the day wandering around the city and competing to see who can find the better dinner spot.

FP3 and Qualifying go well, and the hours you spend together afterwards are a little less carefree. It’s obvious your neighbor is anxious about Sunday and you try whatever you can to help him. You both have rooms right next to each other but much like your apartments in Monaco, he spends most of his time in your room.

The atmosphere at the track the next day is so exciting you wonder why you haven’t attended more races. Max was quieter than usually that morning and when you’re seated and waiting for the five red lights to go off, you understand why.

The entire race is spent on the edge of your seat as you watch Max and Hamilton overtake one another. The entire arena is almost silent when your best friend crosses the line first and you shamelessly jump around cheering, copying everyone around you. You’re almost laughing with relief while you walk down to parc ferme to reunite with your friend.

By the time you get there, he’s just finished the post-race interview and is about to walk to the podium celebration when he sees you. An immediate grin paints both of your faces and you don’t hesitate to push through the crowd in front of the barriers. He meets you halfway and pulls you into a hug through the barricade, not caring about everyone who surrounds you.

He’s sweaty and the arms around you make you feel warmer than you already are but you’re both grinning because he’s the world champion and you’ve watched this all happen right from his side. It’s a hug that makes you question everything and you don’t think you’re going to hesitate to answer any of them.

Max’s flight is leaving tomorrow afternoon while yours in leaving tonight, so you watch him spray champagne on the podium and hug all his friends with a bittersweet smile. Your Uber arrives just as he’s leaving to celebrate with his team, so you send him off with a tight hug, a congratulations, and promises to see him in January. He’s still beaming at you through the window of the car and it’s an image that plays in your head through the rest of December.

You spend your holiday thinking things over, and you’ve decided to break up with Adrien the next time you see him. It’s not fair to be in a relationship when one of you isn’t totally happy with the other, and it’s not fair to be in a relationship where one person is constantly thinking of another.

You tell Adrien that you think you’re better off as friends, and understandably, he gives you a cold shoulder that matches the chilly January winds. Adrien leaves Monaco in February to go back to England to resume his medical studies and you can’t wholeheartedly say that you’ll miss him this time.

Max knows from Andy that you broke up with the Frenchman and he stays away for a few weeks in case you’re still getting over him but comes to your apartment around Valentines Day out of impatience. The Dutch man is a welcomed sight, and he happily reclaims his chair on your balcony and helps you make dinner, just as he’s done a million times before.

To make up for the time lost, Max comes over almost every day until he has to leave to train for the upcoming 2022 racing season at Red Bull Headquarters. In the true nature of your friendship, you welcome him home with a bag of cookies and without knowing it, you both decide you hope you don’t find another boyfriend anytime soon.

Life goes on a bit like this; Monday through Wednesdays, Max comes over for breakfast and dinner, the two of you somehow never running out of conversation. Thursday through Sundays, Max is in a different city, racing and dominating the track. Sunday nights and Monday mornings, a bag of cookies and a rant about the weekend is expected.

And every hour of every day, you two are unknowingly thinking about how much you wish the other would never leave. When you two hang out with your friends, they know for a fact that you two are the last people are Earth to know that Max likes you, and you like Max.

It’s every longing glance and hug that lasts a bit too long that reveals your feelings for one another. They think it’s adorable but also a bit pathetic because it goes on for months, so you can imagine the relief when the invitation arrives in Max’s mailbox.

The Grand Prix Trust is a charity used to support anybody that was actively involved in Formula 1. The Trust gave aid to anybody that was going through financial problems and enabled clients to continue in the motorsport industry. The charity allowed promising young drivers to continue competing and keep employees working with their teams.

Donations are the main source of income for the trust and to keep the flow of donations going, the team behind the cause chose to host a charity gala. It would be a huge event held in April and even though just about everyone in the F1 community was invited, plus one’s were heavily encouraged.

Max knew he was attending, it would be almost wrong not to, he just needed a plus one. The first and only person that came to mind was you, but if he wanted to bring you, he needed to ask you and that was far too nerve wracking.

He received the invitation a month in advance and both he and his date needed to RSVP within the week, which meant Max had less than 7 days to ask you.

He thought it over for a bit, and instead of asking you on your balcony over the dinner you made together, he accidentally blurted it out while you were cooking in your apartment. “Will you go to the charity gala with me?” He didn’t even realize that the words escape his mouth until you’ve turned around.

“What?” The Dutch wants to smack his own face in idiocy. “Oh, um, do you want to go to the charity gala? With me?”

He adds the last part quietly. Instead of laughing in his face like he thought you would, you smile at him. “Yeah, Max, I’d love to go with you” He has to move his head away, so you don’t see his reddened face and lovesick smile.

“Be careful, do you want to set off the smoke alarm again?” He jokes. “Do you not like how it turned out the last time that happened?”

You spend the days leading up to April 16th putting your outfit together and preparing yourself for the event. You weren’t usually nervous about these types of things, but Max told you to expect hundreds of people and you’ve never met any of them before, so you’re sure your anxiety is understandable.

You and Max speculate about the gala all the way until Saturday night when you’re in your respective apartments getting ready. Max has been ready for about half an hour and is waiting on his balcony, nervously. “Y/n! Are you ready yet?” He shouted, knowing that your balcony door was open enough to hear him.

“Almost! Two more minutes!” You yelled, putting your earrings in and checking yourself out in the mirror. You had a gorgeous dress on, shoes and jewelry to match, and a beautiful hairstyle to complete it. You stepped out onto the platform. “Okay! I’m ready!” You looked up to see Max standing over his railing.

“You look amazing, liefde” (love) The pet name slips out in his awed state. He’s known you for almost three years and he’s seen you dressed up before but not to this extent, he had to remind himself to close his mouth and stop staring. “Hold on, I’ll be right there!” He called out before closing the door and making his way down to your apartment.

He knocked on the door, even though he knew he didn’t have to. “Are you ready?” He said as he held out his hand once you opened the door. “Yeah, let’s go” You placed your hand into his outstretched one and locked your door.

He held the car door open for you and let music fill the nervous silence on the way there. The venue is just outside Monte Carlo, so it’s not a long drive but you feel like the scenery passes by slower than usual.

It’s an extremely high-profile event, so as soon as Max’s car pulls up in front of the red carpet leading up to the doors, the flashes of cameras fill your vision. The driver gets out before you to open the car door and offer his hand. As soon as your face is visible, the clicks of the photographers seem to multiply and the only thing you can do is to keep smiling while Max keeps a hand around the small of your back and guides you along with carpet.

Just as your neighbor told you, you only have to stop along the carpet to pose for photos, interviews are optional, and Max would gladly skip media at any event. The venue is beautiful, filled with people mingling around courting a date and champagne glass. He leads you to your table where a few people are already seated.

“Y/n, this is Daniel, and his girlfriend, Heidi” Max has told you all about the Australian Mclaren driver and you can’t help but mirror the smile on his face.

“Hi, Daniel, Max has told me all about you, it’s nice to meet the man behind the stories. And it’s nice to meet you, Heidi, I love your dress” You compliment the woman sitting beside Daniel.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Y/n. And Max has told me all about you too” The older man grins and winks at Max. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Y/n, you look beautiful” Heidi says. You thank her and Max points to the couple next to them.

“That’s Lando, and his girlfriend Luisa, that’s Charles, and his girlfriend Charlotte, and that’s Carlos, and his girlfriend, Isa” He finishes, pulling out your chair and sitting in his own.

“Everyone, this is Y/n” You smile at everyone around the table after Max introduces you. “Not your girlfriend, Max?” Lando jokes as Lusia hits his arm.

“No, I live in the apartment below him actually, and we’ve been friends since he first moved in” You deny, but no one missed the smile and blush on each of your faces.

“Y/n, do you want to go grab drinks with us?” Charlotte asks you. “Yeah sure, I’d love one” All five of you get up and they lead you to where a waiter is walking around with a tray. Max watches you talk and laugh with the other girls with an infatuated smile.

“Just friends for a while, Max?” Daniel teases.

“Yes, we are just friends” The Dutch shrugs.

“Well, you shouldn’t be” Lando emphasizes. “Mate, it’s so obvious you like each other. Tonight’s the perfect night, just tell her how you feel and kiss her”

“When did I ever tell you I liked her?” Max questions.

“You didn’t, it’s just extremely obvious” Carlos interrupts.

“Do not worry, Max. We saw the way she looks at you, trust me, she likes you” Charles assures. Just as Max is about to respond, the five girls walk back to the table, giggling.

“You picked a good one, Max” Luisa teases as you just blush and smile. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. Y/n, I’m going to go donate, do you want to come with me?” Your neighbor says, offering his hand once again. “Yeah sure, I’ll grab my purse” You reach behind you and get up from your seat, leaving your friends smirking at the table.

“I’m sorry about them, they just-” You interrupt. “Max, it’s fine. I like them” You squeeze his hand as you both place your donations.

You two go back to your table and continue to talk, mostly about you and Max. You share stories about each other over the years, all with grins and flushed cheeks. When the music starts playing, almost everyone seated floods to the main floor to dance to the live band on the stage. It’s mostly upbeat music until a slow song starts to play and people pair up on the floor.

“Will you dance with me?” Your date offers his arm. “Of course” You smile as you wrap your arms around his neck, and he moves his arms to around your waist. It should’ve been awkward, two ‘friends’ just staring into each other’s eyes, swaying to the music but it wasn’t. Max’s eyes were enchanting, and the music playing softly in the background created a beautiful atmosphere.

“Do you want to come outside with me?” He leans toward you, his lips brushing the shell of your ear. “Yes” You whisper back as your date takes your hand and leads you outside.

The venue has a patio overlooking the city and the view of all the shining lights below you combined with the glow of the stars above you sculpted a captivating scene.

He brings you to where the railing stands and grabs your hands. “Y/n” He takes a breath before staring into your eyes.

“Y/n, I really like you. I’ve liked you for a while now and I know you broke up with Adrien a few months ago and we live really close, and this could go terribly wrong, but I had to tell you”

“Every time I come to your apartment it’s like a completely different world, one where I don’t have to put on a face and answer a bunch of nosy questions, I can just breathe and talk and laugh with you for as long as I want and It’s the only world I want to live in. I know-” At that, you’re looking at him with so much love and the only thing you can think to do is cup his face and press your lips against his.

Max responds immediately, moving his hands around your waist and kisses you back. He moves his lips against yours before pulling away. “I really like you too, Max” you say, not moving your hands from his face. Even after his speech, his face didn’t redden until then.

You two walk back into the gala, smiling like idiots, and the eight others sitting at your table grinned knowingly.

“I’ve only known about those two for a few hours, but I feel like I’ve waiting ages for them to get together” Heidi says to her boyfriend.

“Yeah love, knowing him, they have”

#formula 1 driver imagines #reader insert #max verstappen x reader #formula 1 imagines #reader x f1 driver #best friends to lovers #slow burn #neighbor trope?

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