Chapter Text
One.
It really was a nice day outside.
It was media day in the Monaco Grand Prix, the first of Arvid’s Formula 1 career. He was chilling in the vcarb motorhome, eating this sandwich his trainer gave him, when he suddenly felt a presence running up to him.
He looked to his side to see what could possibly be happening so early in the morning, only to find Admin dragging Liam with him.
Ah. Of course.
Arvid felt the urge to run, it was the pr team after all so it was basically first instinct for f1 drivers, but ultimately decided it was too early for that. It was 8 am in the morning for christ's sake. Instead, he’d humor whatever the pr team has cooked up this time.
“Oh morning guys, whats up?”
Admin smiled mischievously as he responded. “Hey Arvid, need you to go on a boat for a bit. Yknow, Monaco and all!”
“Uh yeah sure mate. Whatever you want I guess.” He wanted to go out on the harbor anyway. It’d be nice pictures for his Instagram. He also heard from Nikola the rest of the Redbull juniors were planning on going too later, so maybe it was fate.
Liam meanwhile, looked awful. He glared at Arvid with a frown on his face. Arvid wondered what his problem was.
“Nononono Arvid please dont do this to me.”
“Whats going on with you mate?”
“Dude pleaseeee the sea always makes me so nauseou-“
Admin covered Liam’s mouth frantically. “Dont worry about it! He’s fine. Just need you guys to play a game for youtube.”
“Alright…?”
He finished the rest of his sandwich and followed Admin (and Liam, whos still being dragged by the arm) outside to the pier.
They met up with the rest of the social media crew, filmed a short snippet for the intro, and boarded the small boat. He was honestly surprised with how they could all fit in it despite how little the space was.
Arvid took a seat and Liam shortly followed. Looking as if he lost the biggest championship of his life. He groaned and yelled over the starting boat engine: “Hey what game r we playing anyway?”
The cameraman tilted his head up to make eye contact with the duo, pausing what he was doing for a second. “Oh just some pictionary and that one headphone game. Yknow the rules already right?”
“Hey of course I do! Arvid might not though, hes too stupid for that.”
He quickly turned his head to his teammate. “Mate I dont think there's a single person in the world who doesn’t know how to play freaking pictionary.”
The filming crew finished setting up as admin handed out some pieces of paper and a sharpie to the duo.
That signaled the start of filming.
It started out simple enough, Honestly they could become professional artists with how good they were drawing. Arvid screwed up a bit with mixing up a moped with a mop but whatever amiright?
However, every time Arvid looked at Liam, he would look sort of out of it. Liam kept asking him every five minutes if he felt seasick.
He didn’t, thank you very much, but it was very obvious Liam was. Every little wave that crashed onto the boat, he would close his eyes and look as if he was praying he wouldn’t throw up. He gripped tightly onto the railing, hoping it would stabilize him at least a little bit.
Before they knew it, it was the second challenge. Arvid put the headphones on, getting all the words mostly right. Arachnophobia was kind of hard to guess though.
It was then Liams turn, Formula One & Seagull was words he got almost instantly.
Arvid muttered the word ‘colourful’ next. Easy enough right? Wrong. Without a second thought, Liam replied with:
“...I love you.”
Arvid sneered out loud. He didn't expect that one coming at all. His face got a bit red. That almost caught him more off guard than when his mother caught him snapping random girls on snapchat. His grin was wider than the universe. Actually it was even wider than Zak Brown! (no offense Zak hes just loyal to red bull).
Oh my god the fandom was definitely gonna run wild with that one. Curse Liam and his inability to think with a deadly disease of seasickness.
He motioned with his hands, not really knowing what he could say after that. “Ouhhh.. mmmm… uhhh no!”
“Not the word? Okay uhhh”
“I love lollies?”
“...Dude I got nothing… uhhhh”
Arvid sighed and wondered how else he could make this more obvious to Liam because apparently whatever hes saying isn’t working at all. “I dont know how to help him”
He decided to draw on the paper they got earlier with a multi-color pen. Switching between each color with every line.
“Colors?”
“Colours.”
“Colourful!”
“That was it??? Colourful??? And I said I love you???”
Arvid laughed to himself. Trying to change the subject again, “Yeah and I love lollies” Oh my god Liam.
Two.
It was only two days after the Monaco Grand Prix, also known specially as a Tuesday. Monaco was incredibly lucky for him and Liam. Getting a 6-7 respectively. (Admin made sure to abuse this fact on all their social media pages). It was his highest point finish in Formula 1! But enough of that.
They were on a plane to Spain for the Barcelona Grand Prix. Having two races in a row still didn’t feel real but oh well they had a new livery and everything.
I mean, they always have one but this one was real pretty to be fair.
Arvid and Liam sat next to each other in the plane. Liam was scrolling on his phone with a bored expression on his face. The volume was almost loud enough to annoy Arvid, but he didn't have the heart to tell him to lower it down. Instead, Arvid was pretty much starving. He was very hungry after all, he skipped breakfast to go on a morning run.
And because it was an easyjet plane in the economy section, lunch wouldn't be served until 12pm.
What an unfortunate scenario.
That was when he saw his teammate shove his phone in front of his face.
“Oh my god. Dude, did you know the Cars movie came out today? Well, at least in the United States.” he yelled out. Almost loud enough that others tilted their heads at them.
Arvid made eye contact with Liam and glanced down at the tiktok video in front of him when he suddenly remembered something.
“Ah right”
He grabbed his bag on the floor of the seat in front of him and opened the zipper. Liam traced his movement, looking as confused as one could be. Putting the phone back down next to him. Arvid then dug to the bottom of the bag, he carried a pretty big backpack so he was struggling a bit but got the item he wanted eventually.
He held it up to Liam. Urging him to take the very vibrant-red-car-shaped-but-not- lightning-mcqueen-plushie.
“I found this at a store in the airport. Thought you might have wanted it.”
Arvid looked at Liam as he grabbed the plushie.
“Is… this supposed to be Lightning Mcqueen?”
“Its close enough amiright? Kachow…?”
“Hell no it doesn't even resemble him a bit! Hes ruining lightning mcqueen’s image!
Liam laughed out loud. It was probably the funniest thing he's seen all day. “Wait. It doesnt even have a wheel here!”
“Geez mate im joking heres the real thing I wanted to give you.”
Arvid then grabbed a limited edition lego cars collaboration box out of his bag. It was brand new and everything, still had the price sticker on it and all.
He smiled as he gave the box to Liam. Noticing the immediate mood change of his teammate from disbelief because of a very poorly made plushie to disbelief because holy shit that is sold out everywhere he checked.
Arvid knew this in fact. Liam was complaining about it to him a week earlier. He saw it in a pretty sketchy corner during his run earlier in the day but Liam didnt have to know about the specifics right?
“Holy fuck how did you find this. What the hell. Oh my god. Theres no way. You're giving this to me??? Me???? Arvid. You’re serious right? This isn’t a prank? Admin isn’t recording this right? Dude I’ll kill you if there isn’t anything inside this and you’re just getting my hopes up.”
“Yeah nah mate calm down its yours just take it already.”
Liam took the box from him, glowing like the sun. Infact, the real sun reflecting on his hoodie from the window was kind of doing something on Arvid. Damn hes kinda pretty smiling like that. When did his hair start looking so good?
What? A man can admit when a person is attractive. Sue him. It doesn’t mean anything. He's just hot, that's it.
“Arvid. Oh my god I love you so much! Thank you dude!”
Huh.
Wait.
Rewind a bit.
What the fuck?
Does this guy always just say I love you so easily?
And why is the way he said it repeating in his head so much?
Oh no.
“Glad you like it. It cost so much more than I expected” Arvid said, still trying to keep his composure from the spiral going on inside his mind right now.
“How much did this cost anyw- 450 euros?????? Dude.”
“Liam, we are racers in F1. What are you talking about.”
“Well yes but we are on an easyjet plane right now with no leg space or alcohol with a special menu so your point doesn't stand.”
Arvid laughed in response. “Mate you know the team was late on booking flights. This was the only one available. Plus, you don't even like alcohol???”
“Ah right. But that's way more than original price??? Oh my god Arvid you really didn’t have to do this for me. Thank you so much.”
“Cheers mate.”
They continued the rest of that plane ride talking about random topics. Arvid tried his best not to make more eye contact.
Three.
Arvid was in a skatepark with Nikola, hanging out for a bit as they had some spare time due to there being a 1 week break after Silverstone. They were sitting on the top of a ramp, watching some kids try to land on a railing for the past 5 minutes.
What was his problem anyway? Arvid knew he meant it casually, as “friends”. But why was it distracting him so much?
He knows Lightning Mcqueen is his childhood hero and all but really??? I love you??? He has to say those words specifically???
“Man as I was saying, I’m really going to crash out if- Arv? Are you even listening?”
“Oh sorry mate I… just had some things on my mind”
“Okay dude whats bothering you? You’ve been out of it the whole time we’ve been here.”
Arvid sighs in response. He probably should tell his best friend right?
“My teammate has this thing…”
“Liam? Are you guys still not over that one team radio?”
Oh the one where he overtook Liam even when his team told him not to? Ah. We don't talk about that. What happens on track stays on track.
“No what? Ofcourse not thats stupid. Its way more complicated than that.”
“What? Cmon just spit it out already”
Alright It's fine, it's probably nothing anyway. It doesn't have to mean anything.
“Oh for gods sake… He just keeps saying I love you to me so casually and like Idontknowwhyitbothersmesohardandmaybeimjustpatheticandoverthinkingthisbut-”
“Holy shit… YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH LIAM LAWSON??”
“Bloody hell… Shut the fuck up Niko your so louddddd” Arvid covered his face with his hands. He was so red. He could feel the kids now staring at them. He prays to god that these kids don't know Formula 1. Would they have to sign a nda??? Oh my god.
Nikola was laughing in his face. Almost pushing him off the ramp with how hard he was hitting him.
“You always fall inlove so easily. This is gonna be bad for your career yknow?”
“Ugh yeah, you reckon?? Bit of a mess, innit?”
“Only a bit is an understatement dont you think?”
They suddenly heard Arvid’s phone ring in his pocket. Nikola sneered when he heard the ringtone. ‘DU DU DU DU MAX VERSTAPPEN’
He apparently changed his ringtone as a prank when they were briefly teammates in f2. It was Max’s theme song bass boosted. Arvid never bothered to change it though. He doesn't know how to and he doesn't really care. Redbull loyalty amiright?
He took his phone out of his pocket, watching the screen light up with a simple name already mentioned between the two of them 3 minutes ago.
‘liam aka guitar guy’
Thats what he saved it as when they first met a year ago in a redbull juniors party. He was playing it to show off to Isack. He's so good at playing guita- Ah geez.
“Fuck its Liam what do I do?”
“Really??? Put it on speaker, obviously. Dont worry I wont talk”
Arvid swiped the button on his phone. Watching the interface change to the call menu. He took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking.
“Hello?”
“Oh hey Arvid. You weren't answering in the work gc so I’m calling cause they told me to get your attention.”
Oh. Thats it? He got his hopes up for nothing. Thought he would be calling for anything else other than F1. Guess not.
“Shit really?”
“Nah yeah mate im being fr”
“Bloody hell. I was on do not disturb”
“Ahaha yeah happens sometimes.”
Nikola grabbed the phone from him. “Dude you never respond to anyone when you're on dnd. Liam's the only exception to that? Got a special setting and everything just for him huh?”
Arvid tried to get it back immediately, tackling him to the floor. Unfortunately, that immediately backfired as his phone slipped out of Nikola’s hand, sliding down the ramp. They stared at the phone for a second as Arvid got off him.
“Man all im saying is that you should ask him on a date like right now.”
“You’re joking.”
“Suit yourself.”
He ran down the ramp to get his phone back. Almost tripping on his own foot. Thank god he didn’t, Nikola would make fun of him for life if that happened.
“Arvid? What happened to you dude?”
“Hah… Nothing… nothing at all uhm.”
“You alright? You sound out of breath.”
He was not alright. “Oh yeah totally im a-okay!”
WHO THE FUCK SAYS A OKAY. Is he out of his mind??? Okay calm down Arvid. Calm down.
“Uh cheers mate.”
There was a slight pause. It was a bit awkward. Arvid didn’t really know what to say. Maybe he really should ask him on a date? Wait no what? Hes getting ahead of himself.
Liam suddenly started speaking again. “...Hey, so do you wanna go to this cafe I found? Everyone else I asked was busy so…”
“Huh? Oh uh yeah totally sure mate! That’d be… really lovely. When?”
“...Tomorrow? If you're not busy of course.”
WHATTTTTTTTTTT. Arvid looked at Nikola for guidance. Which he wasn’t ANY help as he had tears in his eyes from holding his laughter so hard. This is totally ruining their nonchalant cool skater persona. “Yeah sure mate”
“I’ll text you the details later. See you then?”
“Right uh see you tomorrow.”
“Alright bye Arvid”
“…”
“Love you”
The call quickly ended after that. Arvid didn't even have any chance to respond. He was simply left dumbstruck where he stood. Even the kids who were playing around him were in shock. His jaw was DROPPED. He was sure it was on the floor at this point.
That's when he felt a skateboard hit the back of his leg. A suspiciously black and red skateboard that looked exactly like his skateboard. Wait. Ouch??? Holy shit that hurt. What the hell???
He turned around to see Nikola still laying on the top of the ramp. Grinning like a little child.
“Oh my god you actually have a chance. He totally likes you back.”
“No he doesnt. Maybe… he said it on accident? Wait ouch shit why the fuck did you feel the need to hit me with my skateboard too???? Its normal to hang up with ‘love you’ when its your friends right?”
“That didn't SOUND like a casual I love you though. That sounded like a heyiknowyourmyteammateandallbut i love you. I totally get your point now, he even paused before saying it!”
Nikola doesnt know what hes talking about. Liam’s just… incredibly nice and compassionate and says i love you to his friends even to the one person hes supposed to beat to still have a career. He's just acting like a good friend! Surely he doesnt like him back.
Thats gay. Well hes gay. Well not full-gay its more like half-gay but Liam isnt full-gay. He isnt even quarter-gay! Hes full-straight. Oh my god screw being bisexual.
“Ugh im proper cooked arent I?”
“Definetely.”
Four.
He got to the cafe a bit early. It really is a nice cafe. Its hidden in a corner, plants all over, warm lighting (some coming from the sun, hes thankful for England having good weather for once), and smooth jazz music playing in the background. From what he can hear, the coffee’s amazing too.
Hes a bit early though. Actually he's like… 30 minutes early. This is kind of overkill right? He just looks like a sad teenager waiting for his friends.
Oh he isn’t even a teenager anymore. Well is it? Nineteen still has ‘teen’ in it.
Wait, it's fine. Hes hot. Hes nonchalant. Hes a skater. He has an interest in photography and style. That's cool right?
Mid spiral he notices someone getting closer to his table.
Unfortunately it isn’t the blond haired, attractive, kiwi he knows. Instead its a brown haired, fellow curly hair, fellow britishman, fellow interest in photography and style, fellow world champion- well that one not yet. Maybe in the future? It's his dream after all.
“Arvid! Hey mate, its nice to see you!”
“Hello to you too Lando.”
Lando took a seat infront of him. “What are you doing here? I was gatekeeping this place. I was doing a rather good job too…”
He wonders if he should tell him the truth. I mean theres no harm in it but the more he thinks about it, the more his mind defaults to thinking this is a date. Which its not. Its simply just hanging out between friends… right?
“Oh uh I’m waiting for Liam. He told me he found a good cafe and this is the place so…”
“Really? You hang out with your teammate even when it's not race week?”
Arvid sneered. “Thats rather bold of you considering you’re dating your teammate.”
“Ah.”
“...”
“Fair enough. Who told you that? I bet it was Ollie. That freaking muppet.”
It's an open-secret that the Mclaren boys are together. The whole paddock knows. They're the only ones who think its a secret at this point. It's kind of sad.
He used to idolize Lando, even told him at one point that he’ll see him in Formula 1 five years later. Y'know what they say I guess, don't meet your heroes.
“Ah yeah it was mate.”
It wasn't, he just saw them making out behind the McLaren motorhome. But he had his suspicions before that. Lando really isn't good at keeping secrets. He just wanted to throw Ollie under the bus.
“THATS NOT TRUE???”
…
Alright what the fuck. Did he just summon Haas driver Oliver Bearman??? Oh my god his manifesting powers are way too strong sometimes.
He twisted his head around to check if the voice he heard was real or a hallucination he made after thinking of Liam too much. “Ollie???”
Ollie waved at Arvid, a worried look on his face. He looked funny. “Hello to you too Arvid Lindblad! Lando it wasn’t me I swear.”
Lando glared at Ollie from over his sunglasses. “Really? You sure about that?”
Why is he even wearing sunglasses? He could've put them on his head or on his shirt collar. They're indoors. The sun isn't even strong enough to justify it.
Arvid stared at the two of them as he realized. “Wait, why are you here??? And why are you wearing an apron???”
Lando turned back to Arvid. Deadpan. "Oh Ollie decided to take a part time job as a cafe barista because and I quote: “Do it for the plot!” completely disregarding the fact that he has way more than enough money already.”
Ollie laughed to himself. “Hey its funny when people recognize me. They always do a double take.”
Arvid nodded awkwardly to that. He doesn't even know how to respond. Why do f1 drivers always forget they’re rich? “Right… Sure that makes sense. Then Lando you just… randomly show up to Ollies part time job???”
“Yeah mate. To not take the piss out of him, he does make some banger coffee. Plus, always need to support my boyfriends fake brother amiright?”
“Ew stop talking about my brother as your boyfriend.” Ollie stuck his tongue out and made a disgusted face.
“Did you miss the part where I said fake brother…?”
“Close enough.”
Oooookay this situation has gotten way weirder than he thought. He’s seen way more Formula 1 drivers this week than usual. He's surrounded by the British. It isn’t even the Silverstone weekend anymore but there was an overwhelming amount of English here. That's a bit weird considering he is also British but whatever.
Ollie grabbed a chair from another table and sat with the duo.
Wait Ollie’s still on work hours. Why is he sitting down with them? “Mate aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“There's no other customers man. Lando gatekeeps so much that we're losing profit. Lovely right?”
Lando did a fake gasp. “Be so for real.”
Arvid laughed at the duo bickering. Maybe they really are real in-laws.
Ollie turned his attention to him. “Arvid, who were you waiting for? Surely you're not hanging out with Lando over here.”
“Hey!”
Ah right. Impending doom was still happening in approximately 25 minutes.
“Uh… Liam”
Ollie pauses for a moment. He looks at Lando, only to find Lando nodding back at him. Were they gossiping about him behind his back??? What was the nod about???
He looks back at Arvid. “Wow… Congrats guys! I didn’t know it would happen so early… These things usually take longer. Especially for us stubborn Formula 1 drivers.”
What the fuck was he talking about?
Lando turned to him too. “I mean since you already know, if you ever need relationship advice you can come to me if you want mate, im open”
Oh my god did they assume him and Liam were dating??? Why do they always talk before asking questions???
“No you muppets. We are simply meeting up as a hang-out between two very close professional friends. What's wrong with that???”
Arvid wishes they weren't just “very close professional friends”. But what could he do?
Ollie stared, sighing right after. “Awh man I had fate in you guys. Guess you really are a stubborn Formula 1 driver after all.”
“Really playing into the stereotypes here Arvid…”
Arvid was really fighting the urge to rip Lando’s sunglasses from his face. “Lando. You really still have no right to be saying these things.”
“I never said I was ashamed of being a stubborn Formula 1 driver!”
Ollie sunk in his seat. “Why do we keep saying stubborn Formula 1 drivers???”
Arvid sighed. Everytime he spends time with the people in this paddock he gets dumber by the second. “Mate you started it.”
“Ah. Right.”
Lando started looking around, noticing a very familiar presence through the window. Arvid followed his gaze, also noticing the presence. “Oh shit Ollie lets go.”
Lando dragged Ollie back behind the counter with the ribbon of his apron. Why does Ollie have to be so tall at times like this???
“Wtf” Ollie exclaimed.
More importantly, oh no. It's Liam Lawson. I repeat, Liam Lawson is currently walking through the door of the building Arvid was in right now. He wasn't mentally prepared for this step yet! Why is he so early too??? He's 20 minutes early for christs sake! Did he spray enough cologne?? Is his outfit mysterious but fashionable enough?? Did he bring his wallet???
Fuck he noticed him. HES COMING OVER. HELP.
“Oh! Arvid! You’re here early dude.” Liam smiled as he noticed his teammate sitting by himself.
“Uh yeah I could say the same for you mate”
Liam frowned a little. “Did I keep you waiting?”
“Nah mate not at all I just got here myself.”
Oh my god he looks so good. Liam's wearing a white t-shirt with some music artists names on it. Is it merch? He totally has to check those artists later. His hair is messy but in a good way, and he's sweating a little bit. Well yeah understandable its really hot outside.
Shit is he sweating too? But the ac’s on to the max. How is he sweating???
“Nice place though amiright? Got lucky with this one. Still isn’t mainstream yet. Call it niche!” Liam laughed to himself, apparently finding the word ‘niche’ funny enough.
“Yup totally its really nice” Arvid responded back way too quickly.
How does he make him lose his composure so quickly???
Liam sits on the chair in front of him. The chair where Lando was sitting approximately 2 minutes ago.
“Did you order anything yet?”
“Oh. Nah wanted to wait for you mate.”
While true, he was also in a very immature conversation with some other fellow Formula 1 drivers who are probably stalking the two of them right now.
“Really? You should’ve.”
Is Liam worried?
“Hey there's no wait time anyway”
“Ah I guess you’re right.”
The air seems way more compressed. Was that just his imagination? Could Liam feel it too? Okay, we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. Lets just order coffee or something.
“Well, let's order?”
“Sure.”
They walked to the counter together. Arvid was first. The barista who was taking their order was a girl who looked in her early-20s. She had straight long brunette hair tied in an effortless clawclip. She was honestly really pretty. Not his type in women though.
“Yeah I’ll have an iced mocha. Medium please. Lessen the whipped cream for me will you?”
Arvid turned to Liam. “Hey what about you mate?”
“Ah right I’ll get an espresso. Medium for me too.”
Okay so he gets espressos. Noted. Need that info stored for non-suspicious reasons. Totally not so he could get some for him in hospitality later on in the future.
The barista suddenly asked for his name.
“Arvid. A-r-v-i-d.”
With that, they decided to wait next to the counter. Arvid had one arm on the surface of the island while Liam leaned on it with his hands in his pocket. Arvid looked at the barista making their coffees.
Ah right. Ollies making it. He forgot that fact. He wondered if Liam knew Ollie was working here too.
Ollie was wearing a black mask. His hair was scruffed up differently than usual as Lando messed it up a bit earlier. Is he trying to disguise himself? Guess Liam didn't know after all.
“I didn't take you to be a mocha-kinda guy.” Liam suddenly said, forcing Arvid to look back in his direction.
“Really? I’m totally a mocha guy.”
“Mmm… thought you’d order matcha or something.”
Okay. A bit offensive. “Mate… Alright sure I’m performative as hell then.”
Geez did Liam think of him that lowly? Yes he enjoys matcha but he wouldn’t be caught dead with a cup of one. It would hurt his pride if people geniunely thought he was performative.
“A real performative guy wouldn’t just announce he’s performative.”
“So you're calling me non-performative then?”
“Sure. If that boosts your ego.” Liam sneered at him.
“It does. Thank you Liam.”
Wait he’s proper cooking right now. He totally forgot he was nervous. Guess Liam just does that to him. They’re so natural together. They’d look good together.
Nope. No. Nah. This isn’t a date Arvid. Get that in your head.
Their coffees arrived after that. Lando placed it on the table. “Order for Arvid!” When did he get an apron too? Oh he's tilting his head down. He doesn’t wanna get caught either huh?
It’s kind of awkward knowing there's two people spying on your not-so-friendly-hangout-date but whatever this was Liam's idea anyway.
“Doesnt that guy kind of look like Lando?”
Arvid was caught offguard. “Yeah nah mate I think you're just imagining it.”
Lando stopped dead in his tracks. Coughing a bit as he ran off to the staff room. Was he even allowed in there???
“Really? I could've sworn he had the exact same height and hair as Lando. Even coughs the same as him.”
“You know how Lando coughs???”
Arvid started to laugh. Liam always notices small things like that. It's kind of endearing really.
“Is it really that weird?”
“Yes. It really is that weird.”
They grabbed their drinks and headed back to their table. Arvid could feel the presence of Ollie and Lando staring behind him, but he pretended not to notice it. These so-called ‘stubborn Formula 1 drivers’ aren’t gonna ruin his date. He's sure of that.
Did he call it a date again? Oh well who cares.
Arvid grabbed his drink, immediately noticing something written on it. He turned the drink around.
Next to his name (which was spelt correctly for once) was a ‘hey cutie’ written with a heart. Ouhhh shiii.
He tilted his head up to Liam. Who was also staring at the drink. His eyes straightened and his lips pursed a little. He looked a bit annoyed to be honest. Wonder if that's just Arvid’s imagination tho.
“Wowwww Mr. Womanizer over here” Liam said in the most sarcastic voice ever.
“I guess so.” Usually he’d be pretty happy about this. He’d smile and get the barista's number or something. It boosts his ego. Unfortunately this is the worst situation to be hit on. He's getting hit on during a date with his CRUSH. Hopefully Liam doesn't find out how much of a wyll warrior he used to be. (Still is to be honest).
“This a normal occurrence for you?”
Arvid stared for a moment. Sneering a bit as a thought crossed his mind. A thought that would never be true. “Why? Jealous?”
“Ofcourse not.”
“...”
“Just saying, no offence, but I’d probably be a way better boyfriend than the girlfriend she would be.”
“That- sounds like a lot of offence actually???”
“No. I said no offence.”
Alright. He totally isn’t freaking out right now. Liam isn’t implying what he thinks he is… is he? Nope. Nah. Definitely not. Let's just… see how this goes.
“Alright Mr. Lawson. Prove you can be a better boyfriend then.”
Silence hit them for a while. Where did he even get this confidence from?
“Dude-... you're so annoying.”
“Liam.”
“...I really think this isn’t necessary-”
“What? So your just a stubborn Formula 1 driver after all? Wow Liam… don't you reckon you’re playing too much into the stereotypes here?”
“...Alright alright fine. Pretend this is a date okay? I’ll be an awesome boyfriend.”
Well dang. Thank you Ollie.
“Go on.”
Ah fuck. Why are these words coming out of his mouth?? Is it too late to back out??? Dont people always say to think before you act???
“Arvid- I mean- Baby… Here you wanna try my drink?”
BABY??? OH SHITTTT.
“Mmmm yeah sure. If you want, love.”
Liam slid the drink across the table to Arvid.
Liam glanced up at him. “Careful babe, it's hot… Don't want you burning your tongue or anything. That’d be a problem no?”
Oh. Alright then.
“It would be a problem… but lets be honest.”
. . .
Arvid stared into his eyes. The tension hurting his lungs. “You wouldn't really care. You’d bite it more. Wouldn’t you?”
“Mmmm… yeah I would.”
“...”
“Gives me an advantage next race no? You’d be too busy thinking of me. A constant reminder on your tongue. Those upgrades wouldn’t be enough to save you.”
Alright Liam just outright admitted he wanted to make out with him. Totally normal behavior to your teammate right?
“Knew it.” Arvid mumbled under his breath. Quiet enough that only Liam could hear it.
Arvid held up the drink to his mouth, taking a small sip of the espresso. He hates espressos. But if he said that right now it would ruin the roleplay. Might as well play along right?
He slid the drink back to Liam. Watching intensely as he picks up the same cup, bringing it to his mouth. They hold eye contact even when Liam is taking a sip. Arvid bites the inside of his cheek. Thats… just a full on indirect kiss. Usually he doesn't mind, but damn. He REALLY minds now.
“I love coffee.”
“Yeah?”
“...”
“Not as much as I love you tho.”
Ah. There it was again. The forbidden words. He's going to go insane if he says it one more time. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing though.
Arvid watched as Liam burst into laughter after that sentence. He shortly followed after. Smiles filled the duo's faces as they make fun of each other for the short exchange.
“Really??? I’d bite your tongue more???”
“Hey! You totally would mate!”
They were both so red, the embarrassment only now creeping in as they realized what just happened. Time felt as if it slowed for a bit the whole time. He glanced at his watch. Was that really only 2 minutes? He wonders if Liam felt the same way. What if they really were flirting?
Arvid wanted to take a jab at him, just to make it less… weird. “Oh my god mate, that was so stupid. You suck at flirting.”
Liam snorted. “Cmon I flirt great. You insisted anyway.”
“Sure. If that boosts your ego.”
“It does. Thank you Arvid.”
Lando and Ollie looked at each other. Probably thinking the same thing.
“What part of that exchange was a normal-friendly-professional-hangout-with-your-teammate???”
Five.
Arvid was on the bed of his hotel room. All the lights were off, his pillow was sinking under his weight, the only light in the room was a small gap in the curtains, and the ac was almost making him freeze. All of these conditions should be the perfect recipe to fall asleep fast enough but something was stopping him from just doing so.
He usually never has problems sleeping early. In fact, he’d say he falls asleep pretty easily. Its just that for some reason, all hes doing this particular night is twisting and turning in his sheets. Obviously it isn’t working but what else could he do? Hes already counted sheep until 100 and he knows scrolling on social media would just immediately remind him of Formula 1 which would definitely just ruin his mood.
He grabs his phone to check the time. Its 12am already. If he was still in his teens (which technically he still is?) he would probably stay up till 3 playing video games. But unfortunately, getting into F1 put a toll on his body. Now his trainer tells him to always get enough sleep so that he can function properly both in society and in the car.
Left with nothing else to do, his mind defaults to Liam. God, he still cant get over that one cafe incident. Lando and Ollie teased him about it afterwards. He hasn’t seen Liam yet cause they both flew to another country the next day but they've been texting regularly.
Just some random stuff and insta reels. It feels like he hasn’t made any progress at all. Is he really this hopeless? All he knows is that Liam’s back in Monaco in his home while Arvid is stuck here in Italy for media responsibilties.
He goes to his contacts list, apparently he isn't thinking straight as the first thing he does is text Liam. He doesn't even notice until he sees Liam's text bubble start moving on its own with three dots.
arvid aka skater guy: heyyfkanlw r u awake lol?
liam aka guitar guy: arvid? its 12am dude?
Ah shit. He probably just woke Liam up. Curse the inability of humans who don't have functioning brains when they’re bored at midnight.
arvid aka skater guy: oh rifht sorry mate itd nothing
liam aka guitar guy: i still cant get over how u dont double check ur texts before sending it
liam aka guitar guy: you really are just like lando
arvid aka skater guy: bsfr rn my autocorect just not on and i type fast
arvid aka skater guy: np one is as bad as lando
liam aka guitar guy: sure whats going on tho (sent with fire effect)
arvid aka skater guy: why did u send that wiht fire.
liam aka guitar guy: free will? im cool like that
liam aka guitar guy: stop changing the subkect
liam aka guitar guy: subject*
arvid aka skater guy: no u have spelling misstake too haha idiot
liam aka guitar guy: …alr noted w thx
Next thing he knew, ‘DU DU DU DU MAX VERSTAPPEN’. Holy shit. It was so loud. He really should change his ringtone nowadays. Why was his phone at max volume anyway???
Wait fuck Liam is calling him.
Ugh screw Nikola. He’ll google search it later.
“Arvid?”
He can tell Liam just woke up. His voice is deeper than usual. It's doing some things to him he wouldn't dare admit out loud.
“Sorry did I wake you up? It's fine, you can go back to sleep.”
“Nono its alright I’ll stay up for you. Whatsup?”
Well dang. That surely wont mess up his head. Is he doing this on purpose at this point?
“Nothing mate, its stupid.”
“...Dude just tell me”
“Fine. I cant fall asleep.”
“Oh. That's it?”
What does that mean?? Ugh he knows he should've just tried to count more sheep instead. This is so stupid.
“Right then. Lets talk until you fall asleep.”
His eyes widened at his phone. His voice was laced with surprise. “Really??? You’d do that for me??? Don't you have to go somewhere early tomorrow?”
“Well how am I supposed to repay you for that lego set and my coffee you paid for?”
Ah right. He did pay for both of those. He nearly forgot. Maybe his love language was gift gifting or something. Well, if it was for Liam, he’d use any love language.
“Ah mate you really don't have to do anything for me because of that. I just wanted to cause it was for you. My very special one and only teammate.” He said it way more sarcastically than he intended. Is he nerfing his chances himself???
“Hah, thank you tho. I really appreciated it.”
“No worries mate.”
Damn. This feels… strangely romantic.
“Hey I built the lego set already.”
Arvid was surprised. When did he even have the time? It's been so busy lately. “Oh yeah? How is it?”
“It's so cool mate. It's on my bookshelf and everything. I have it on display.”
Awh he displayed the gift he bought for him? That was so cute of him. Arvid wonder what his apartment looks like. He hasn't been there yet. Maybe it would be really cluttered. Ah well… maybe he would clean it, knowing he was coming. That would be nice innit?
“Hey what’d you think if I bought you a guitar? Would you use it alongside your own guitar?”
“...”
“No. I wouldn't."
Oh. Well damn then.
“I wouldn't be able to bring myself to use it. What if I broke one of the strings?”
“Mate can't you just repair it somewhere?”
“Nah. It wouldn’t be special anymore.”
“Mmmmm… where would you put the guitar then?”
“I’d display it. Next to the lego set. It would be sitting on the floor next to the bookshelf. I'd buy a stand for it and everything.”
Wow. That's… strangely thoughtful of him. This is surprisingly sweet. They always just banter (and of course he loves those moments too) but… this is nice sometimes. He could get used to this side of them more. Doesn't this mean they’re becoming closer?
“Thats surprisingly thoughtful of you.”
“Says you. You’ve been buying me so much stuff.”
“I have enough money so why not?”
“I do too. That's not a valid excuse.”
Damn he's probably right. He's also been in Formula 1 for longer, he definitely has more money than him.
“Yknow sooner or later, when you retire, you’re gonna be in debt with that mindset.”
“I don't mind. As long as it's for… certain people.”
“...”
“Whos the other people then?”
“Mmmm… secret.”
No one. Theres no one else.
“...Thats a bad habit of yours.”
“What is?”
“The fact you always have so many people who want you. It's your fault you always make yourself so open. Stop getting their hopes up.”
Arvid sighs. He knows that already. In fact, he hasn't replied to another girl or guy asking him out ever since he got into Formula 1. His PR team would kill him. But also, he kind of knows it's wrong anyway.
“I’ll stop then.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“...”
Why would Liam care if he pulls anyway? What's his problem? “Why? Are you jealous again?”
“Dont say that. You know you don't mean it.”
What? What is he talking about now? Liam's so confusing sometimes.
Silence fell upon the both of them for a while. It wasn’t awkward silence, it was actually very much far from awkward silence. But it couldn’t be called comfortable either. It was tense, strained even.
“Sorry, just… forget I said anything.”
Arvid sighed. “What's wrong Liam?”
“Nothing.”
“Really?”
“...Yeah”
The silence left Arvid by himself. He felt his eyes grow heavy for a moment. He couldn’t fight the tiredness anymore. He felt his body relax. Before he knew it, he was gone. Liam really did help him fall asleep.
“...Arvid?”
Liam heard his breathing steady. Arvid didn't respond. He paused for a moment. Listening to his breaths. He was just asleep a few minutes ago, but now it's like he's wide awake. He tried calling him once again.
“Arvid? Hello?”
Okay. Hes for sure asleep now.
“...I mean it. I always mean it.”
“I love you Arvid Lindblad.”
With that, he hung up the call.
+One.
Arvid was in a predicament. He and Liam went wheel-to-wheel in the race. He got a bit carried away with fighting and lost control of his car. His tire hit Liam's front wing, snapping it off, causing Liam to spin out and end up in the gravel. Ending his race completely with a dnf.
He got a 10 second penalty after that as it was clearly his fault, but with the luck of a safety car, upgraded car, and good strategy from the team, he still ended up p9 in the points. Best of the rest.
It was honestly a good race for him. But it just… didn’t feel right.
Obviously he's fought with Liam a lot before, but usually, both of them still end up finishing the race. Usually, their standings were next to each other too as they celebrated a double points score afterwards.
The team had a quiet celebration afterwards. They congratulated Arvid as they walked past him, but there wasn't a celebration with all of the team filmed for the social media like usual.
Arvid didn’t know what to do. Well obviously he would apologize to Liam, but he couldn’t find him anywhere he looked. He wasn’t in the racing home, hospitality, media pen, paddock, even his driver room!
He knew he could leave early if he got all his media duties done because he dnf’ed but… they’ve never not made up after a race.
Arvid knew Liam was mad. He was on a different strategy and could've probably finished ahead of him if Arvid wasn’t petty enough to fight with him instead of letting him through like what the team said. He knew he couldn't do anything to justify that. It was his fault from any angle. God what should he do?
Arvid made it back to the hotel. He didn’t know Liam’s room number so this was a dead end too. He sighed to himself.
He already took a shower earlier, so he immediately just flopped into bed after brushing his teeth. He had a flight tomorrow anyway. Staring at the ceiling, he decided to text him. Maybe that would do something.
arvid aka skater guy: hey mate im sorry
arvid aka skater guy: fuck i shouldve just let you through.
arvid aka skater guy: talk to me when you can okay? ill apologize fully in person. it doesnt feel sincere if i do it on text. im sorry again liam. see you.
Arvid groaned, placing his hands on his face. He double checked his messages for spelling mistakes before he sent it. He really regretted the race today. It would've been better if he dnf’d instead of Liam. Why does he always get so carried away?
He got a text from someone else.
stupid ass “bulgarian lion”: well shittttt how r u?
arv lindbald: awful. jst kill me atp.
stupid ass “bulgarian lion”: u talk to liam alraedy?
arv lindbald: no. hes ignring me. bloody hellllllll
stupid ass “bulgarian lion”: it’ll be okay arv. ill be here if u need. no worriez.
stupid ass “bulgarian lion”: he needs some time, jst go to sleep or sm idk man.
arv lindbald: i hate what happened
stupid ass “bulgarian lion”: i know
Arvid closed his eyes, not even bothering to close the warm overhead lights. He was too lazy to get up anymore. Who cares?
Arvid was on the plane. He was actually in first class this time. It would have made him a little bit more excited though if Liam was here. Which he isn’t. Of course he isn’t. He agreed to join a plane with some other f1 drivers before they even booked planes.
Arvid isn't alone either though, he was with the mclaren boys. Honestly Arvid doesn't even know how he got here, it's literally like 3/4s of the whole mclaren team on the same plane and then just… Arvid Lindblad. There was an overwhelming amount of papaya orange which is strange because they aren't even required to wear the team kit when it's not work days.
The mclaren duo were sitting across, in front of him. Thankfully, Oscar was in a plain maroon shirt while Lando was wearing a black hoodie. Wait, wasn't Oscar wearing that hoodie two weeks ago? Whatever. It was a break to his eyes. Sorry mclaren. Maybe he should be less judgemental sometimes. Or his mood was just sour. Probably both.
“Did you guys make up yet?” Oscar suddenly said. Stopping his thoughts of clothing articles.
Arvid’s eyes widened. He wondered if Oscar was really the one who said that or if a doppelganger with the same voice as Oscar Piastri suddenly appeared while he was distracted.
“Oh oops sorry mate I told Mr Piastri over here about your little date” Lando grinned. Hoping it was innocent enough to warrant Arvid to forgive him.
“Ah. That explains a lot.” Arvid glared at the couple. He kind of wanted to ignore them, but they are still his seniors. He couldn’t really do that.“...No not yet. I couldn’t get a hold of him.”
“Really??? Oh you muppet!” Lando shrieked.
“Ugh really rubbing salt on the wound aren't you mate?” Arvid rolled his eyes. He tilted his head back, not wanting to engage anymore in this conversation.
“You really should apologize, y'know. It’ll get proper bad the more you guys ignore it ever happened.” Lando said back to him.
Arvid groaned. “Its not like I'm not trying to! He's been ignoring me, not even responding to my texts!”
Oscar looked at him sympathetically. “Oh.”
“...Want some advice? I told you, im open.” Lando smiled gently. Trying to seem as comforting as possible.
Honestly, it didn’t sound like a bad idea. Arvid saw Lando as an older brother figure. He never really stopped idolizing him even after he got into f1. He was really happy when he got a picture with him on the Silverstone stage. He would never tell him that though, Lando would tease him for months if he ever said that to him.
Arvid sighs, a smile he was trying to avoid slowly appearing on his face. “Yeah alright mate. Go on.”
“Whenever I do something stupid and cause trouble for my teammate, I usually let him be by himself for a few hours. Especially when its big incidents like-”
“Canada?” Arvid sneered.
“...Sure. I know he’d be frustrated if I talked to him directly afterwards. From what I can see, Liam’s just like Oscar too.”
Arvid laughed a little. Not at anyone in particular, just at the situation going on right now. “I know mate. Give him some time or whatever right? I haven't texted him since last night. He’s just ignoring me and It’s bothering me and I know I shouldn’t be bothered because he has every right to because of what i did but i just cant-”
“Yeah. Fair. I get what you're feeling mate.”
Oscar?
“Every minute on bad terms feels unbearable right?”
“...Yeah?”
Oscar sighed. “I mean if I’m gonna be honest mate, I don't really think there's anything you could do right now. If Liam doesn’t reply to you for now, then that's that. All you can do is wait.”
“Osc!” Lando exclaimed.
“Just- dont forget this feeling. Remember how bad it hurts when he’s mad at you. It’ll help you later on in life. Helps you lessen regrets in the future I guess.”
Arvid contemplated on what he said for a second. Dang. I guess he’s right. This hurts. Really hurts. More than one could ever put into words. Oscar’s pretty smart huh?
“You sound like you’ve been through this before. Oscar heart-eyes Piastri aren’t you? Yearner of the century right here.” Arvid snorted at him.
“...Mate I just gave you advice and you repay me like this?” Oscar deadpanned at him.
“Guess he can't stay serious for more than 10 minutes when it's with other people.” Hypocritical, but Lando was laughing with Arvid so it was fine.
“Okay fine mate seriously, how’d you guys deal with the whole championship fight without breaking up?” He was genuinely curious so, maybe it would be a good time to ask this.
Lando smirked. Was he blushing a bit? “Well… we didn’t get together until Las Vegas so…”
Oscar turned to Lando, “Eh technically even later. It was just teammates with bene-”
Lando’s eyes widened as he covered Oscar’s mouth. Muffling any sound coming out from his mouth.
“Wai- mppph!” Oscar exclaimed.
“Osc. What did we say? What happened in Vegas-” Lando urged him to continue.
Arvid looked in concern, was Oscar suffocating? How would he even respond if he dropped dead right now? Would Arvid be a witness to the situation? Would he have to go to court? Oh shit.
“MMphstays in Vegas! Alright- aghmpph Lan stop-”
“Good.” Lando took his hand off Oscar's mouth. Oh wait. Was this a kink or something?
Lando wagged his finger in the air. Sitting back down properly on his seat. “Now Arvid, just remember, your life doesn't revolve around your stupid crush on your teammate okay? You're cool enough already. Don't let it ruin your guys relationship.”
“...Okay Mr. Norris. Got it.” Too much papaya orange.
It’s already evening. Liam was sitting on a chair in his hotel room. He stared at the notification on his phone. Its already been a full day since he first saw it pop up. ‘3 new messages’. He already knows who its from. He’d be stupid to assume otherwise. But, who would blame him for ignoring his teammate for a bit? It was Arvid’s fault anyway. He had no reason to fight with him. They were literally on different strategies!
Oh but damn. What a mean way of thinking. Why is he making out Arvid to be worse than he really is? He knows Arvid was just caught up in the heat of the moment.
He’s sure what's in those messages are words of apology but, why is he still scared to check them nontheless? He's still ahead of his teammate in the championship, so why did it hurt so much? Communication would make things so much better, but why is he scared of confrontation? Why is he being so stubborn to text back?
There's always so many questions. He already knows the answer anyway. The only reason why he’s being so complicated about this only has one reason. He never had any doubts about it before, so why did he not want to admit it right now? Hes admitted it so many times already for gods sake.
No one was here with him. No one would hear anything if he proclaimed it out loud. He was all alone right now, why couldn’t he just say it to himself?
It was so simple. It was always so simple. Only a single sentence can describe it all.
It was because he loved Arvid Lindblad.
A sigh escaped his mouth as he resigned himself to his overwhelming emotions. He loved, adored, was obsessed with his teammate. Arvid was always so thoughtful. He bought him things without warning, he remembered random things he said on a whim, he made so much efforts to cheer him up, he was fun to fight with on track, he always showed that he really cared.
So why did he not want to talk to him right now? To reach out and say that it was fine? That it was okay? He wasn’t mad at Arvid anymore. He might have been after the race, but so what? That was just a stupid incident. A rookie with too much pride. Isn’t that what that means to be a redbull driver? No, a full on Formula 1 driver?
Was he just trying to make himself look worse to Arvid? Maybe that was it. Maybe he just wants to stop the tension between them. Arvid never reciprocates. He never shows any signs. He laughs it off everytime ‘I love you’ slips out. Damn he really does lead people on huh? Curse all of his snapchat followers.
Whatever. He needs a walk. Maybe when he calms his mind down afterwards he can decide on what to do in this situation.
Slipping into a hoodie, he put his headphones on and made his way out the door. The elevator ride down was quick despite him being on a relatively high floor. I guess it made sense, nobody would want to go out at this late hour. Most people were probably getting ready to go to bed or something.
He exited the hotel and took a breath of fresh air. The city lights were blinding. There weren’t a lot of cars out, leading to a relatively silent atmosphere. He tried to engrave the whole thing into his memory. It was beautiful. As good as a distraction could ever get I guess.
He played the next song on his playlist and started to walk. He didn’t really know where he was going but that's the beauty of travelling every week right? As long as he got back to the hotel by a reasonable enough hour, he’d be fine. He could feel his mind start to clear up, being taken in by the quiet night life.
He walked around the block, leading him to a strangely lit but dark alleyway. He found various different things. A cigarette shop, a statue of a figure he couldn't recognize, a bicycle that was missing one of its wheels, a stray cat sleeping on a trashbin, oh and ofcourse a 7/11.
Hey, why not get a slushie? That’d be nice.
Liam entered the 7/11, the worker looked like he had seen better days but oh well. He walked to the back of the store, passing by some stuff he’d probably need to buy more of but this really isn’t the time for that. Finally spotting the slushie machine, he grabbed a large cup from the dispenser.
What flavor should he get?
Who is he kidding? Of course he’s getting Cherry. Red is the color of Lightning Mcqueen after all. I mean, he does think Blue Raspberry tastes better, but his ego wouldn’t be able to accept it. Cherry it is.
After paying for the slushie, he continues walking around. Occasionally taking a sip from the obnoxiously large cup. Wow it was really cold huh? Maybe getting a hot drink would've been better. Whatever. Too late.
He spots a park in the distance, sub-consciously walking towards it. Right nature would be good right now too. Crossing the road, he steps onto the paved pathway. The trees swallow the night sky, waving with the wind. He takes another breath of fresh air.
Oh wow that feels so much better.
He slowly dragged himself along the pathway. He doesn't want this to end too soon anyway. The grass was lit up with small lights placed into the ground. He was completely alone, hearing nothing else but the music playing in his headphones. What a scenic place.
After taking another sip of his cherry slushie, he spots a small lake further along the pathway. Oh hey! Some ducks are swimming around in it too! Liam walks a bit faster to catch a better sight of the ducks. Awh, they were so cute. It looked like a family of 4 children with a mother duck leading them.
He continued further until he was standing directly in front of the lake. He stared into the water below him, seeing his own reflection looking back at him. Damnnn when did he start looking so good?? Yo the face card lowkey goes crazy??? Woah he should start wearing this hoodie more huh.
Liam laughed at himself. A grin he hasn’t seen since before the weekend appeared. What was he doing? Anyone who might've seen him probably would've thought he was crazy, laughing at his own reflection. Even the ducks started swimming the opposite way from him. Thank god he was alone.
“...Liam?”
Oh. Whoever was in heaven must hate him. Surely.
Liam sighed as he turned around. He already knew who that voice belonged to but he still needed to confirm it. What were the chances?
“Arvid…”
Arvid Lindblad was indeed standing in front of him. The moon reflected on his hair, highlighting his messy curls. His hoodie was a dark red, acting as the highlight to his baggy black jeans. Topping it all off with a pair of red converse. He looked straight out of a pinterest board. God.
“You're not surprised to see me? What time is it? Why are you here?” Arvid looked at his watch, wait did he cut a hole out of his hoodie just so that his watch could be seen? Pfft. What a waste of a good hoodie.
“Could say the same for you mate.” Liam sneered at him. Where did all of that previous aggression from the past few days go?
“I don't know, just needed a walk or something. Well anyway-”
“Shhhh” Liam shushed him. Arvid’s eyes widened.
“Huh?” Arvid panicked. He looked as if he was worrying he said something wrong. What a funny sight.
“Arvid mate… If I hear anything about F1 right now I think I might drown myself in this lake.” Liam complained. Well damn maybe that was a bit overboard.
Arvid didn’t really know what to do with his hands. It was flailing around, landing into the inside of his hoodie pocket. “Ah well- dont… do that?”
Liam tried making eye contact with Arvid but he quickly looked away. Oh he's so nervous. Well understandable. Instead, he decided to look at the slushie in Arvid’s hand. It was blue raspberry. The flavor he wouldn't admit he likes better. “Hey, let's sit over there. On that bench.”
Arvid nodded in response as they made their way to the bench. Liam quickly sat down, patting the wood next to him to signal to Arvid to sit down. Arvid sank in his seat, not really knowing what to say. Liam didn’t mind though. He was staring at the water, watching the moon's reflection on the lake. The twilight lighting up the both of them just by a little bit. It was calming.
Liam turned to his side, watching Arvid gaze into the lake too. His eyes were sparkling. An emotion he couldn’t describe in words was plastered onto his face.
He grabbed his cherry slushie next to him and handed it to Arvid. Arvid paused for a moment, not knowing what to do before he realized to grab it. He then gave him his blue raspberry slushie in exchange. Taking a sip, Liam realized how much he missed blue raspberry. It was just the superior flavor.
Arvid took a sip of Liam's cherry slushie too. He grinned a bit. “I like cherry. It's nice as well.”
“Do you like it more than blue raspberry?” Liam asked.
“Mmmm.. yeah I guess I do. I like red things.” Arvid responded back. Wasn’t there some other meaning here? Or was Liam just reading too much into it?
They sipped their drinks in silence. It was a comfortable silence. Silence between them was rare, usually they'd be bickering or something every time they were together but none of that was present right now. Just two “lads” enjoying their slushies, in a park, with some unresolved issues that they don't have to get into right now.
Arvid handed him the other earbud he was using. Oh alright then. Liam dropped his headphones to his neck, placing the earbud to his ear. They were listening to some niche melancholic song an indie artist probably made. Liam hasn’t heard of it before but it was nice. He might add it to his playlist later.
They eventually finished their slushies, Liam threw both cups into the trash can a bit further down the path. Sitting back down, Arvid sighed. “Is it okay now?”
Liam paused, playing dumb he responded: “What is?”
“Can I apologize now?”
Well, I guess it was inevitable. Why was he even delaying it again?
“Aren’t we fine already?”
“...Liam. You know that's not true. Let me apologize. Sharing slushies isn’t going to fix anything.”
Of course he knew that. Liam turned to make eye contact with Arvid, they were both staring into each other's eyes at this point. “...Alright. Go ahead.”
“Right…”
Arvid's hands disappeared into his hoodie.
“I’ve been trying to think of how to say this since the race ended, I think I’ve rewritten it in my head about a thousand times at this point.” Liam chuckled a little. He would do that wouldn't he?
“I was being selfish. I’m sorry.”
“The team told me to let you go. I knew you were on a different strategy. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I did. That fact doesn't change.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“I wanted to beat you. I was caught up. And because I couldn't let go of my ego…”
Liam looked up at the night sky. The moon seemed to be listening in to them too. The stars were probably gathered, watching this play out with popcorn in their mouths.
“Your race ended.”
“Maybe if I had braked a little earlier or left half a cars width we wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”
“But I can't go back in time can I?”
Liam looked back into Arvid's eyes, a sorrow mood filling the air.
“I'm sorry Liam. If I really could go back in time, I would have just let you through. I'm not sorry because I got a penalty or because the team was mad at me, I'm sorry because I ruined your race specifically.”
“I know it must have stung that I took you out and still ended up with the points you should've gotten, and it made me feel sick to my stomach.”
Liam’s face softened instantly. Sighing, he tried to butt in but Arvid continued before he could interrupt.
“Liam, I’m not asking you to tell me it's okay. Or to forgive me right now. Bloody hell you could even stay mad at me if you want. I’d get it.”
Arvid looked at Liam, tension filling their lungs. Liam smiled a little.
“You idiot… I’d never stay mad at you.”
Arvid’s eyes widened in response. “Oh.”
“I think I finally know why I kept ignoring you.”
“Liam?”
“Hah… I guess it was because I wanted to move on. I wanted to pretend you didn’t exist even for a few more days. I wanted to finally just get over these stupid feelings of mine.”
There was a pause after that. The eye contact they held was piercing through Liam's heart. Is he stupid enough to say these next words? Nah yeah probably.
“When it happened, I didn’t think of the team meetings at all either. I didn’t think of how it could just be a rookie mistake or how you were being selfish. I was having so much fun.” Liam's mouth grew to a small smile.
“Arvid, I love racing you. Actually if I'm gonna be honest, you’re probably my favorite person to race with.”
“...”
“No. Screw that. You’re just my favorite person, full stop.”
“I love you Arvid Lindblad.”
Arvid stared. The pause was infuriating. Shit.
“...What?”
Liam immediately regretted every decision he's ever made in his life. Right. Fantastic. He’d just confessed to his teammate. In a park. Right after his teammate had just apologized for crashing into him. What a weirdo. Brilliant work, LL30.
“Ugh, just forget I said that mate.”
He laughed awkwardly, standing from the bench. “Actually no, pretend we never even saw each other today. Pretend I never came here. Pretend we never shared those slushies or listened to music together. Forget it all.”
“Wait- Liam.”
“I’ll see you at the factory I guess.”
“Liam.”
“Alright It’s getting late, im just gonna-”
Before he could take another step, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist. Gentle. Not even enough to stop him by force, but enough to make him turn around. Liam sighed. “Arvid. Don't. I already know what you're gonna say.”
“Dont show me any more pity. This was stupid of me anyway.” Liam's voice was barely louder than a whisper.
“I’ve already tried so many times. You laugh everytime I say ‘I love you’.”
“...”
“You always dodge it. You pretend I never even said it. You never answer.”
“So leave me be Arvid Lindblad. I’ll sort it out myself.”
Arvid laughed in response. Was he really laughing at him right now? Oh thats- a shit move. The fuck?
“Bye.”
“Wait- Liam.”
“What?”
Arvid stopped laughing, only a smile remaining on his face. “Sorry I wasn’t laughing cause I thought you being in love with me was funny. I was just laughing because this was just a stupid misunderstanding.”
“Huh?”
“I thought you were joking mate. I convinced myself everytime that you were joking. I thought you were just one of those guys who said I love you casually. You said it so many times.”
“You said it during media, when I gave you that one lego set, after that phone call, even when you were pretending to be my boyfriend.”
“I know. I said it so many freaking times dude.”
“Well yeah but you said it so many times I thought you just… said it to everyone or something.”
Liam’s shoulders dropped. “Dude… have you ever heard me say I love you to Isack? To Yuki? To any of my past teammates?”
“Mate, how was I supposed to know? It's my rookie season??? Did you want me to ask Isack or something??? The whole ass redbull family???”
They both bursted into laughter. Wait, Arvid isn’t implying… No….
“Wait so-”
“Yes mate. Wasn’t it obvious? I literally said I only did these things for ‘special people’. Do you think I would go out of my way to buy you that whole ass lego set from that shady store for just anyone?”
Liam could feel his heart start beating out of his chest. “...Shady store?”
“Oh right I never told you that.”
Oh this idiot. “Arvid. You gave me no signs.”
Silence fell between the both of them. Liam took one step closer.
“So- were you ever gonna tell me?”
Arvid laughed nervously. “No. I was planning on dying with these feelings.”
“Dude seriously?”
“Mate… were F1 drivers. What did you expect??? ‘Arvid Lindblad is openly bisexual and in love with his teammate!’ The media would take the piss out of me.”
Liam folded his arms. “Oh.”
“I had a whole plan and everything! I’d just support you from afar, enjoy the time we spent as teammates, maybe just continue reposting edits of you on my burner account, and then retire with 8 world championships and be the coolest person in the world.”
“...The coolest person in the world is pushing it.”
“And not the 8 world championships?”
“Nah. I’d get 9 anyway.”
“Ah. Cheers mate.”
Liam couldn’t help but laugh. A proper one. The one which had him bent over slightly. God, this is so stupid.
“Dude you’re an idiot.”
“I know. I love you too.”
Arvid said the forbidden words for the first time. Well shit. He said it like It’d been trapped in his heart for months. They were both turning red. He would bet his ears were as red as a tomato right now. Maybe smoke was exiting out of his head too at this point.
Liam grinned. “Colourful.”
“Colourful?”
“Yeah yeah. Colourful. You owe me now. Go buy me another front wing or something.”
Arvid suddenly remembered the first incident on the boat. I love you = Colourful after all. “Ah right. Colourful. You sure you don't want anything else?”
Liam cringed. A thought growing in his mind. Ah well fuck it.
Liam’s fingers curled around the front of Arvid's hoodie, tugging him forward way too closely. There was a slight pause. They were staring into each other's eyes. The moonlight seemed to light up his hair. He could count each strand with how close they were. He could feel Arvid’s breath even in the cold air.
Suddenly, Arvid closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together. They closed their eyes, relying more on their sense of touch. Arvid wrapped his arms around Liam's neck. It was gentle.
Warm even.
Not what you would expect from a f1 driver huh?
He tasted sweet, Liam thought. He tasted like a mix of cherry and blue raspberry. Well, he probably did too. Would their tongues turn purple? His lips were softer than he imagined. It was surprisingly nice. God he needed this. He desperately needed this. More than he ever imagined.
He tilted his head more, deepening the kiss a little. It was careful, they were both still figuring out how to do this. But it was nice. Patient.
Time seemed to stretch around them. It was like they were the only people in the universe awake right now. It felt… strangely natural. Like it was meant to be like this.
When they finally separated, it wasn’t because they wanted to. But because they needed a second to breathe. They stayed close anyway, grinning at each other like little kids, never wanting to step back.
“I love you Liam.”