Chapter Text
Sometimes the best love stories start first with a strong friendship, the kind that defies track rivalry and the very nature of hybrid species.
Sometimes there is no need for courtship, or a look full of intentions, but rather two completely different instincts that find an inexplicable balance in the midst of chaos.
Only sometimes a predator's pride yields to the vulnerability of another, blurring the lines between what biology dictates and what the heart is about to discover.
And very rarely do they start like this, with just a phone call at almost midnight. Barely 4 hours after having participated in a Grand Prix.
Just as it happened to Max Verstappen.
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The hot water from the shower had barely managed to wash away all that tension and all that exhaustion accumulated in his shoulders.
It had barely managed to soothe that primitive instinct to be the best and all that white noise produced in his head after driving at more than 300 kilometers per hour.
Great.
Max had come out of the bathroom drying his hair with a white towel, wearing only black boxers due to the heat from the recent shower. The air conditioning in the Monza hotel suite caressed his goosebumped and somewhat pink skin, bringing him back to reality after an intense Sunday.
He had poured himself a glass of cold water afterward and had gone to sit on the edge of the bed, staying there, staring into space, pensive, calculating, with his mind even being faster than the car he drove.
A fifth place. Again.
Bah.
It wasn't what a lion like him was looking for. Not when he was used to biting the asphalt and keeping everything. But due to the piece of shit regulations, plus the piece of shit car Red Bull had given him, well, a P5 felt almost like a P1.
Almost.
Because it was clear that he did everything animal and humanly possible to make that tractor work decently. Or at least, keep the team afloat as much as possible.
There was no other choice.
But nevertheless, deep down, a spark of foreign pride lightened the weight of the defeats that chased him:
Kimi Antonelli had taken the victory.
His first P1 at home, with the Italians roaring his name.
Max smiled half-heartedly there, leaving the glass on the nightstand. "That boy is going to be champion this year," he thought, with the absolute certainty of someone who knows the business better than anyone. "He deserves it. That snake is doing an incredible job on track."
And there was something fucking admirable about the way Kimi, despite being so young and reserved outside the car, transformed into an implacable predator upon closing his helmet visor, making the tracks look like a simple playground for him.
Plus, it was also incredible his ability to not let himself be intimidated by his teammate, who just like the Italian, was looking to take that big trophy home. But it was clear that Kimi wasn't making it easy for him, stealing more and more attention on every circuit they stepped on.
So yes, Kimi definitely possessed a champion's mind.
Kimi was going to make it.
And Max would be more than happy to see him succeed.
Yes, indeed.
The Dutchman only let out a sigh minutes after he stopped thinking, letting go of the towel and preparing to turn off the lights to finally get under the sheets. He was exhausted.
He needed to sleep.
And that's where he was, already lying in bed, trying to find a comfortable position when then, the cell phone on the nightstand vibrated, breaking the silence of the room with its shrill tone.
Max frowned. He looked at the lit screen out of the corner of his eye. He didn't feel like talking to engineers, or the press, or anyone from his team at that hour. He wanted to sleep, dammit. Therefore, determined to ignore it, he adjusted himself again and closed his eyes, waiting for the device to give up.
And it did. The sound ceased after several seconds. Max exhaled there, burying his face in the pillow, ready to dream of sheep and lions.
But the phone rang again immediately.
Ugh.
Max let it ring again, causing the call to drop after reaching the time limit, opening a two-second gap of silence that Max took advantage of to roll his eyes and bury himself deeper in bed.
But, again, he didn't get to enjoy the peace; a third call came in suddenly, making the wood of the table shake. God. Whoever was on the other end of the line was not going to take no for an answer.
That was definitely no longer a casual insistence. It was an urgency.
Dammit.
—My God, why won't they just let me sleep in peace? —Max growled to himself, his voice hoarse from exhaustion.
He sat up in bed reluctantly, stretching his arm sharply to snatch the phone from the nightstand. He was completely prepared to tell whoever was bothering him at this hour to fuck off, but the impulse froze in his throat as soon as his eyes scanned the screen.
The name Kimi Antonelli glowed in the center.
Oh no.
Max's anger dissipated instantly, replaced by a cold flip in his stomach. "It's almost midnight," he thought, straightening up completely on the mattress. "Why would Kimi call me at this hour?". The boy was shy, extremely reserved, the type who preferred to send a short text rather than invade someone's space with a call. For him to insist like that could only mean one thing: something was going very wrong.
God, please no.
Without losing another second, Max slid his finger across the screen and brought the phone to his ear.
—Kimi? —he answered, his tone of voice changing radically to one loaded with deep concern—. What's wrong?
On the other end of the line, the Italian's breathing sounded agitated, erratic, as if he had been holding his breath.
—Max... did I... wake you up? —Kimi's voice sounded small, broken by a shyness that bordered on panic—. Sorry, Max, it's just... I didn't know who else to call.
Max's chest tightened at his friend's evident helplessness. His territorial and protective instinct kicked in completely.
—No, no, no, don't worry —he replied quickly, trying to sound as firm and reassuring as possible—. I'm glad you called me. What happened? Are you okay? Are you hurt?
—No, it's not that, everything's fine... —Kimi made a long pause, so tense that Max could almost feel the vibration of his anxiety through the signal—. It's just... it's just I don't know how to ask for it.
Max softened his expression, resting his elbows on his knees and lowering his tone of voice, adopting that calmness he only used with the snake so as not to scare him.
—Just breathe, relax a bit, and let it out —he assured him softly—. You know I'm not going to judge you.
Through the receiver, Max heard Kimi swallow hard, followed by a trembling sigh. Then, he caught an extremely subtle sound: a low, dragging, almost inaudible hiss that the Italian made to himself, a purely instinctive reaction of his hybrid side to try to channel his nerves and give himself courage.
Was it that bad?
Finally, after what felt like an eternity where Max felt his tail starting to twitch harder and harder from anxiety, Kimi spoke again.
—Max... could you... before you go home tomorrow, could you come with me to a doctor's appointment?
Oh, fuck.
This was bad.
—Doctor's appointment? —Max straightened up even more in bed, his brow furrowed with alarm—. Are you... does something hurt? Are you sick?
—Something... something like that —Kimi admitted, and Max could notice the trembling in his voice through the earpiece—. It's just that I've been feeling weird these days. I feel something in my genital area that... I don't know, it has never happened to me before. And I'm afraid it's something bad, something that will affect me long-term, something that won't let me drive anymore and...
Max fell silent, listening intently while pressing the phone against his ear. His lion mind began to spin, looking for words to reassure him, to tell him that surely it was nothing serious, but he held back when reality hit him head-on: he didn't know what to say.
They were very different when it came to biology. What was normal for a feline like Max could be a completely different process for a snake like Kimi, and vice versa. He didn't want to overspeak and screw it up.
—... and my mom says it's something biological —Kimi continued, interrupting Max's thoughts—. Something she can't explain well to me because she doesn't know if it's exactly what she thinks. So... could you come with me?
Max blinked, processing the request.
—And your mom can't? —he asked carefully, not because he didn't want to go, but out of pure curiosity.
—No, she has to stay with my little sister —Kimi explained, his voice dropping another octave out of embarrassment—. Besides... I would feel so embarrassed to go with her to that kind of check-up. And my dad is traveling, he doesn't come back to Italy until next week.
Oh oh.
A small silence fell on the line after that, broken only by Kimi's paused breathing, who was waiting for the four-time champion's answer as if his life depended on it.
And it was then that Max understood that for the young Italian, he was his pillar of trust in that chaotic world, since the mere fact of thinking of him, of his rival, in such a... personal situation showed that Kimi valued him much more than Max believed.
Wow.
—Well, I... —Max began, trying to organize his thoughts, but Kimi didn't give him time.
—I know it's strange to ask this of someone who is supposed to be a track rival, but... —Kimi's voice broke again, revealing the urgency behind his shyness—. This is really important. You don't know how much it cost me to decide whether to call you or not, plus I would want someone I trust and admire to be there, even if it's to receive bad ne...
—It won't be bad news, shut up —Max interrupted him with a firmness that made Kimi shut up instantly—. You'll see it'll be a silly thing you have. I felt that way at your age too, and it turned out I was reaching the age where I could, you know, mate, and well, the truth is...
Suddenly, a sigh of relief was heard on the other end of the line.
—Oh, so that could be happening to me too?
—I don't know, Kimi —Max replied, scratching the back of his neck—. Remember that I'm a lion and you're an East Indigo. Our processes are very different. Maybe yes, maybe no... What exactly did your mom tell you about it?
Kimi emitted a sharp little noise there, a hiss of pure embarrassment that made Max smile in the darkness of his room.
—Something about eggs... you know, and I... Oh, I don't want to talk about that, how embarrassing, Max!
Max couldn't help it anymore and let out a laugh.
—Relax, mate, we all go through that. Maybe you're like this because, I don't know, you're going to lay eggs? What do I know, I have no idea how a snake's anatomy works.
—No! Neither do I! —Kimi replied with desperation—. That's why I wanted to go to the doctor, so they could explain it to me!... So... will you go?
Max sighed, leaning back against the pillows. There was no turning back, his instinct told him he couldn't let his friend go through this alone.
—Alright, Kimi. I'll go with you.
A prolonged hiss full of relief, almost like a reptilian purr, filtered through the phone.
—Really?
—Yes. But please, don't go freezing up when the doctor tells us that, probably, you just need to fuck someone to lower that heat.
Kimi let out a muffled squeak of pure embarrassment, a sound so genuinely shy that Max laughed again, this time with more zest, enjoying the side that nobody else saw of the boy who was complicating his life on track.
—Yeah, yeah, yeah... God, you're so shy —Max said, still amused—. Nobody would believe you're the championship leader with such a bashful attitude.
—Well, it's just... when I want something and I focus on it, I can only think that I have to have it no matter what... You understand me, right? —Kimi murmured, and his tone seemed to change for a second, acquiring that implacable fixity he showed when he was glued to the rear wing of Max's car in races.
—Sure, kid, I understand you —Max replied, softening his posture—. What's more, I've always told you that I see a lot of myself in you. So everything is fine... Everything is going to be fine, okay?
A long sigh loaded with relief traveled through the line.
—Alright, I... I'll pick you up tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., okay? I'll be waiting for you downstairs.
Max arched an eyebrow, letting out a low, playfully husky purr that betrayed his feline nature.
—Wow, am I going to be the passenger princess this time?
Kimi only let out a soft hiss, this time with a hint of that confidence that came from being in his own country, surrounded by his people.
—We're in Italy, it's my territory, so...
Max just laughed, amused by the snake's sudden burst of pride.
—Alright, Kimi. See you tomorrow, okay?
—Yes, and thanks, Max. I really appreciate this.
And with that, the call cut off, leaving Max looking at the cell phone screen with a light smile that took a bit to fade.
He then left the phone on the nightstand, settled under the sheets, and closed his eyes, with his lion instinct strangely calm now that he knew that tomorrow he would take care of his grid companion.