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It had all started because of a stupid bet.
And really, Esteban should have learned from the whole tattoo ordeal with Cyril that making a bet with Daniel Ricciardo could never end well. But his stubbornness had managed to beat the rational part of his brain that was screaming at him that this was a bad idea, and so he had shaken hands with Daniel and thus sealed his own tragic fate.
They had been sitting together on the comfortable couch that was in Dan’s hotel room, flicking through the tv channels as they had been doing more and more frequently these days. Esteban couldn’t even remember how their little ritual had started, but now, every single night before qualifying, either one of them would go to the other’s room and they’d have an impromptu movie night.
Sometimes they watched whichever film they could find that had English subtitles, and other times they would look for a particularly bad one that was available on Netflix just to talk shit about it – that second option worked wonders for their moods whenever they had had a shitty practice session.
However, that night had been different.
Esteban had been in control of the remote, mindlessly browsing through the channels, when suddenly Daniel had seen something that had him actually squealing and launching himself over the Frenchman to prevent him from changing the channel.
It said a lot about their relationship that Este hadn’t even blinked at suddenly having a lapful of Daniel Ricciardo, instead just cocking his head in confusion as he tried to place which movie it was that was playing on the screen.
“Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that”
And apparently Esteban had just said something terrible, because Daniel had shot right up so he could sit straight and look at him with impossibly wide eyes.
“What do you mean you’ve never seen it?” Daniel asked, baffled, looking at Esteban as though he had told him that he’d purposely messed up the engine of his car.
The Frenchman rolled his eyes “You know I’ve never been a big fan of movies, especially not romcoms”
Dan gasped, and Esteban resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, too used to his teammate’s dramatic antics by now to really be affected by them.
“But it’s Dirty Dancing! It was a cultural reset!”
“You really are too old to say things like that –“
“It’s iconic!” he continued as though Este hadn’t spoken “It’s one of the best movies ever made!”
Esteban sighed, resigning himself to the fact that Daniel would not shut up about it until he’d seen the damn movie.
“Well just leave it on then, we’ll see if it really is as good as you say”
Just like that the grin was back on Daniel’s face, and Este couldn’t help but give an endeared smile of his own as the Australian did a little happy dance before settling back against the couch, blabbering on and on about how he was going to love it.
And God, as much as Este pretended to be exasperated by him, he was honestly so head over heels in love with the man that it was almost ridiculous.
At first, he had desperately tried to ignore his feelings – reasoning with himself that it was probably just a silly little crush that would go away sooner rather than later. But as more and more time passed, it became pretty clear that it wasn’t just a crush.
Everything Daniel did just seemed to make his feelings grow. The older man was so kind, and funny, and considerate… and stupidly attractive, of course.
Esteban had seen for himself how he always looked at Dan with the biggest heart eyes in all the videos they did for Renault and the interviews they had together, and he honestly thought it was a miracle that he hadn’t noticed yet.
He wasn’t planning on confessing his feelings of course, not ever, because he was pretty sure that Daniel didn’t reciprocate them and never would. Este was honestly content with just being his friend, because having him around at all was more than enough for him.
Esteban really hated to admit it, but he was definitely getting more interested in the film than he would’ve thought possible. It probably had something to do with Daniel’s running commentary, as it became obvious really quickly that the man had seen it at least fifteen times before.
But even if the Australian had it committed to memory, he still reacted to every single scene as though it was the first time he was watching it, and Este couldn’t help but laugh at how invested he was on the story.
“God I had the biggest crush on Patrick Swayze when I was growing up” Daniel commented absentmindedly, his dark eyes trained on the aforementioned man as he crawled on the floor towards a scantily clad Jennifer Grey.
Esteban felt a lump form on his throat, but he forced himself to answer anyways “Yeah I can see why”
It wasn’t like he didn’t know Daniel was into men, he was actually very open about it even if he didn’t necessarily advertise it to the general public. But he just couldn’t help but feel his heart aching when he saw the gorgeous specimen shaking his hips on the screen.
Swayze was strong, and tan, and he had more rhythm on his pinky toe than Esteban had on his whole body. His body which was tall and lanky and just all-around awkward. If Patrick fucking Swayze was Daniel’s type, then he never stood a chance.
Esteban shook his head to get rid of his self-deprecating thoughts, and instead focused back on the film.
When the ending rolled around, he was sure that the width of his smile nearly matched Daniel’s. He had to admit it really was a good movie.
“Oh, I know this song!” Este exclaimed excitedly, leaning closer to the tv as the couple started to dance what he assumed to be the final dance.
“I would’ve been very worried if you didn’t, it’s an absolute classic”
“Yeah my dad is a really big fan of Roy Orbinson, so he always played it when I was younger”
Daniel frowned “I’m pretty sure Roy Orbinson doesn’t sing that song”
“No I’m pretty sure he does” Esteban replied, voice unwavering.
“Wanna bet?” Daniel asked, quirking a challenging eyebrow as the other man turned to look at him.
Esteban hesitated for only a second, but there was no way he could refuse. He was almost 90% sure that he was right, and he’d never been one to back down from a challenge.
“Alright, what do you wanna bet?”
Daniel was silent for a moment, before his lips were stretching into a devilish grin. That grin instantly had Esteban feeling more than a little uneasy, having seen it one too many times before Dan did something incredibly chaotic.
“Whoever’s right gets to pick the other’s Halloween costume”
Esteban grimaced. He definitely hadn’t been planning on dressing up for Halloween, especially because it happened to be on the same day as qualifying at Imola. But again, he wasn’t a quitter, so he simply nodded before shaking Daniel’s outstretched hand.
“Deal”
The Australian didn’t waste a second before pulling out his phone, opening the Spotify app and typing the name of the song in the search bar. Esteban knew he was screwed the second he saw how Dan’s eyes lit up, turning the phone towards him so he could see what was on the screen, a triumphant smile etched across his face.
(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes.
Fuck.
Esteban really, truly, honestly, had never hated his life more than at that precise moment.
Daniel had been kind enough not to make him actually wear a dress, but he wasn’t sure that this was much better.
He was wearing a pink leotard that was usually reserved for ballet dancers, and a pair of matching pink sweatpants that rode low on his hips. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he had to admit that he looked pretty good, but he also felt kind of self-conscious at how tight everything was, and he was really dreading having to walk through the paddock dressed like that.
Lance had laughed for three minutes straight when Esteban met up with him so they could arrive together at the circuit, since Daniel had some media stuff to attend to and so would be getting there later.
The Canadian was even more amused because he was the only one who knew about Este’s unfortunate crush, and thus seemed to be having the time of his life (pun slightly intended) at the predicament his friend had managed to find himself in.
As he had expected, many heads were turned and many eyes widened as he made his way to the Renault garage, trying to blend in with the crowd as much as he possibly could while sticking out like a sore thumb because of his ballerina-like fit.
It really didn’t help that Lance was apparently trying to do the opposite, waving at every camera he saw and proudly displaying his very extravagant Cheshire Cat costume.
(“This is the last year we’re wearing pink, I need to send it off with a bang”)
Cyril couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows as his eyes landed on his young driver when he reached the outside of the garage, looking him up and down as he clearly tried to decipher what he was supposed to be dressed as.
Esteban sighed, knowing that every single engineer was looking towards them as they waited for him to explain his outfit.
“Please don’t ask”
The team principal was about to say something before something behind Esteban caught his eye, his eyebrows raising even further before an amused smirk appeared on his face.
“I don’t think I have to”
Este frowned in confusion, before he turned around to see what exactly Cyril was looking at. And when he did, he felt his throat go dry.
It really should be illegal for someone to look that good.
Daniel was walking straight towards them, a massive grin lighting up his face as he waggled his eyebrows at the people who were teasingly catcalling him and waved at the dozens of cameras that were following him.
He was wearing a pair of ridiculously tight black pants that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, and his black short-sleeved shirt had so many buttons open that his tanned chest was in full display.
But what really made Esteban’s head spin was his hair, his hair which he had somehow managed to style so it looked exactly like Patrick Swayze’s quiff had on the film.
“Didn’t know you were such a fan of Dirty Dancing”
Cyril’s teasing effectively snapped him out of his daze, and Esteban was sure he was as pink as his leotard as his team principal laughed at how embarrassed he looked.
“Looking good Baby” Daniel winked as soon as he reached him, and even though Esteban knew he was just referencing the damn movie he still felt his blush getting deeper.
“U-uh thanks, you too”
The Australian’s eyes sparkled with amusement at Este’s stuttering, and God he was sure his whole face was gonna melt off because of how hot he suddenly felt.
“It’s such a shame that we can’t race with these outfits, we look entirely too good to only wear them for a few hours”
Esteban really didn’t think he looked even half as good as Daniel did, but the way the older man had looked him up and down had his brain feeling like it was short-circuiting and thus he didn’t feel capable of forming a coherent sentence.
“Which is why I think we need to get the most out of them”
Este blinked “What –“
“Hit it Michael!”
From the corner of his eye Esteban could see Michael pressing play on a boombox that he somehow hadn’t noticed before, and as the first few notes came through the speakers he could feel his stomach doing all kinds of flipflops.
“Oh God, Daniel no –“
Now I’ve had the time of my life
No, I’ve never felt like this before
Everyone started cheering as Daniel held out a hand towards him, and Esteban had never in his life wanted for the ground to open up and swallow him whole as much as he had at that moment.
“Daniel I really, really, can’t dance”
But of course, that wasn’t enough to deter him, and he only shrugged before wiggling his fingers so that Esteban would take his hand “Don’t worry I’ll lead you”
And well, Esteban really wasn’t strong enough to say no to him.
Yes I swear, it’s the truth
And I owe it all to you
The cheering got even louder when Este finally accepted his hand and intertwined their fingers, yelping when Dan instantly pulled him in and placed his other hand on his waist, the warmth of his touch seeming to burn Este’s skin through the thin fabric of the leotard.
I've been waiting for so long
Now I've finally found someone to stand by me
Esteban hadn’t been joking when he said he couldn’t dance, but to his immense surprise it really wasn’t that hard when he just focused on following Dan’s lead. He only stepped on his feet twice before falling into a steady rhythm, his foot going forward when Dan’s went backwards and vice versa, letting the older man move their joint hands as he pleased.
We saw the writing on the wall
And we felt this magical fantasy
When Este felt confident enough to stop focusing on their feet he lifted his head up, but it turned out to be a huge mistake because as soon his brown eyes met Daniel’s he tripped over his own foot, but Dan’s hold was strong enough to keep him upright and the little laugh he gave was so cute that he couldn’t help but laugh with him.
Now with passion in our eyes
There's no way we could disguise it secretly
Dan’s eyes seemed to sparkle at the lyrics, and Esteban felt a shiver run down his spine when he noticed the intensity with which he was looking at him. There was an emotion shining through those warm eyes that he couldn’t quite place, but that had the butterflies in his stomach fluttering incessantly.
So we take each other’s hand
'Cause we seem to understand the urgency
Daniel was so intoxicating that Esteban couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t him, getting so lost in him and their movements that he completely forgot that they weren’t alone. He actually giggled when Dan dipped him out of nowhere, the smile on the Australian’s face growing even wider at the sound.
“Are you ready for the big move then?” Dan asked, making Esteban frown in confusion.
“What big move?”
Just remember
You're the one thing
I can't get enough of
Suddenly Daniel let go of him and took more than a few steps away from him, Esteban still staring at him with puzzlement. Or he was, until Daniel lifted both his hands and beckoned him over.
The Frenchman’s eyes widened.
“Absolutely not”
“Come on Baby, I promise I’ll catch you”
The second that fucking word left Daniel’s lips he knew he couldn’t possibly refuse him, and everyone must have noticed because all of a sudden Esteban could once again hear the encouraging cheers of the people surrounding them.
Well, all except Cyril who had to be held back by Michael so he wouldn’t stop his two drivers from injuring themselves right before qualifying started.
“If you drop me, I’m going to kill you” he called out, making Daniel give that beautiful laugh of his once more.
“I wouldn’t dare”
Esteban steeled himself, bouncing a few times on the balls of his feet and craning his neck from side to side as if he was prepping for a gymnastics routine instead of a dance move.
So I'll tell you something
This could be love
Before he could regret his decision he took off on a run, barely managing to stop himself from coming to a halt as he reached Daniel and instead jumping right into his arms, letting out a shriek that he was sure he’d be embarrassed about later as the older man caught him by the waist to lift him up over his head.
He had absolutely no idea how they had managed to do it on the first try, but Esteban let out a slightly hysterical laugh as he extended his arms and legs exactly like Jennifer Grey had done in the movie.
Because I've had the time of my life
No, I never felt this way before
The crowd burst into applause as Daniel’s slightly shaky arms lifted him even higher, and God, Esteban was sure that his grin was going to split his face in half if it managed to get any wider.
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you
After a few more seconds Daniel carefully brought him back down, their chests pressing together as he slowly slid down until his feet found the floor.
Because of their height difference, Dan had to lift his chin upwards so that they could actually look at each other, and it was a good thing that he was still holding him close because Esteban felt like he was going to pass out when he finally placed the emotion he had seen in his eyes earlier, the same one he could see right now.
If they weren’t surrounded by all those people, Este thought, he would definitely kiss him right now.
Daniel’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline then, before the corners of his mouth tilted upwards in an almost bashful way.
“I would certainly not be opposed to that”
“What?” Esteban asked, his forehead creasing lightly.
“You kissing me”
And then it clicked. Fuck… had he said that out loud?
He felt a rush of white, hot panic go through his body, before his one braincell decided to work for once in his life and what Daniel had said finally clicked.
“I – really?”
Dan rolled his eyes, but it really wasn’t effective because of how endearingly he was looking at the younger man. He started moving them to the rhythm of the song once more, the Frenchman too dazed to overthink his moves and easily letting himself be pulled along by Dan.
“I’m a little offended that you haven’t noticed how I’ve been flirting with you for the better part of a year now”
Esteban could only blink at him, his one braincell most definitely having dipped on him again.
“You have what?”
“And here I thought I had game” the Australian snorted, trying very hard not to laugh at how shell-shocked Esteban looked “But what about it Ocon, will you let me take you on a date?”
Maybe Este still wasn’t capable of critical thinking, but he didn’t even have to think about his answer.
“God, yes” he blurted out almost embarrassingly quickly, but the way Daniel beamed up at him was enough to get rid of any insecurity he might have felt.
Dan dipped him once more right as the song ended, and when he lifted him back up their little bubble finally burst as he looked around and noticed that practically the entire paddock had been watching them the entire time.
Este groaned when he saw the shit-eating grin on Lance’s face, the very amused look on Sebastian’s, and the heart eyes Lewis was giving the pair – aside from the dozens of cellphones and cameras currently pointed their way.
“I am never going to live this down” he lamented, bringing his hands up to hide his blushing face.
But before he could do that Daniel intercepted one of his hands, bringing it up to his face so he could place a chaste kiss against his knuckles. Esteban could swear he heard Lewis squealing.
“Hey, at least now everyone knows not to put Este in the corner”
Esteban couldn’t help but burst out laughing at that.
He could already see all the news articles that would talk about their little stunt, all the Instagram videos and the Tumblr gif-sets.
However, as he looked down at Daniel and saw that emotion in his eyes again, he really couldn’t bring himself to care.
So, he only tilted his head towards the sky, sending a very quick mental thank you up to Patrick Swayze.