Work Text:
Today was another date night.
Well, truth be told, in Verstappen's eyes, every single day was a date night—his heart and eyes were completely filled with his partner.
As a straightforward guy, he had already gifted all the usual flowers and perfumes. Mindlessly scrolling through his phone, his finger suddenly froze—he had just figured out the perfect gift for George.
He walked into his go-to flower shop, planning to pick out a bouquet that was truly one of a kind.
"Hello, welcome in!" The shopkeeper looked up and recognized a regular. "Ah, what kind of flowers are we looking for today?"
Verstappen flipped his phone around, aiming the screen at the owner. "Could you make me a bouquet just like the one in this picture? How much will it be?"
The florist took the phone, squinted, and gave the photo a quick scan. "Sure thing, no problem. We have a promotion running these few days, plus you're a regular, so I'll charge you 45 euros."
"Sounds good." Verstappen paid without hesitation. "By the way, do you sell those long wooden skewers here? I need quite a few because I'm planning to attach some small gifts inside the bouquet."
"Yes, we do! Hold on a moment, I'll grab a pack for you once I finish making this. That'll be 4 euros." The owner glanced over and quickly agreed.
"Here's your bouquet, all set." Before long, the flowers were ready, and the owner turned back to hand over a bag of skewers. "These are pretty sharp, so do be careful."
"Got it, thanks." After thanking the shopkeeper, Verstappen hurried home. Following a online tutorial, he secured the gifts one by one with tape, measured the placement with his hand, and began the "upgrade."
After a flurry of frantic efforts, an exquisitely crafted yet slightly rough-around-the-edges bouquet stood before his eyes. Clapping the dust off his hands, he checked the time and mumbled to himself, "Timing is perfect. I'll go pick him up now."
George had just wrapped up his shoot when he spotted that familiar figure.
Carrying a massive bouquet of flowers, Verstappen was making his way toward him.
He stopped in front of George and held out the flowers. "This bouquet is different from the previous ones. Open it and take a look."
George carefully unwrapped it, his eyes widening at the sight. "Oh, my god! I mean... did you make this yourself? It's so pretty! I love it!"
He kept admiring it, holding it up proudly to show it off to everyone around, his eyes brimming with uncontainable joy and pride.
George scratched the back of his head, turned to rummage through his bag, and handed over two tickets. "You mentioned before that you wanted to try tandem go-karts together. Consider your wish granted today! (^^)"
Verstappen was pleasantly surprised. He took the tickets, his thumb softly tracing their names printed on them. "Thank you, George."
After bidding farewell to the crew, Verstappen and George jumped straight into the car and headed toward a newly opened go-kart track.
Upon arriving, a staff member guided them into a small briefing room, where another attendant turned on a screen to introduce the track layout.
"Uh, that's a lot of turns," George said, rubbing his chin. Verstappen gave a brief nod, his eyes fixed on the track map as he mentally calculated his racing line.
Once they had a good grasp of the layout from the briefing, the two put on their racing suits and helmets. Utilizing his long legs, George feigned a move toward the driver's seat, only to make a wide arc and slide straight into the passenger side instead.
"...?"
Verstappen gave him a deep look before walking over to take the driver's seat.
After a warm-up lap, they began to pick up speed. George, looking like he was back in the jungle, let out a roaring "werwer" sound: "Woohoo~ Whoa! Keep pushing!!!"
As they kept driving, Verstappen felt the steering wheel getting heavier and heavier. Glancing back, he realized George was barely touching his wheel with one hand while using the other to wave at the grandstands: "Hi, how are you?"
"George!" Verstappen's sharp voice cut through instantly. George shivered in surprise and dutifully went back to driving.
As expected of a long-time couple, their chemistry was undeniable.
"Three laps remaining," the staff member's voice echoed through the headset.
"Go faster!" George cheered like a wound-up toy, acting like a total, unstoppable menace.
"..." Verstappen remained silent.
The moment he saw the checkered flag, Verstappen could finally let his guard down. After bringing the kart to a complete stop, he raised his hand and tapped George on the helmet. George clutched his helmet, sounding aggrieved: "What did you hit me for?"
"What do you think?"
"I just wanted to wave hello..."
"Don't do it again."
"He-he."