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Lance has not been able to sleep for the last two days. It’s Valentine’s Day, he’s with Aston Martin at Silverstone for another test drive of the new car.
Right now he’s holding a bag of pink and red cards in envelopes for the whole team commissioned by an artist, a sort of apology for making them work today but also a cover story for his real intention. There is a special card in his pocket with Sebastian Vettel’s name on it, and a very exciting questions written on it.
Sebastian had never been a problem for him, he’d been crushing on him since coming to F1, but it was just that, just a crush. He’d been able to let it be, Sebastian was always nice, worked hard for the team and make the effort to keep their relationship professional on and off track. The flirting did come in as a surprise but he flirts with everyone so that doesn’t count. Becoming teammates, however, did pour a lot of gasoline on the small fire which then spread fast and he found himself falling harder.
Telling his friends, especially Mick was nerve wracking, but ultimately uneventful since both told him they knew and he was as obvious as he can be. Although both tried to help him get over it by setting him up with other people, it didn’t work, so he decided to get an answer once and for all.
“The worst thing he can do is say no,” Lance repeats to himself as he walks into Silverstone.
(Well not really he can say ‘ew’, or ‘fuck no’, and then tell his dad he’s leaving the team, and maybe even leave F1.)
He waits until the first break in the schedule comes to give them away, starting with his engineer and mechanics it quickly becomes apart just how much the small action makes the people he works with laugh. He moves on to the rest of the staff, media and pr and marketing before entering Seb’s garage. All heads turn once he does, so Lance do nothing else except blush when they tell him they’ve been waiting for him all day.
One of the mechanics opens the envelope to take out the card before he’s done handing them all out, and reads it out loud. He knew there was chance this might happen but he was not prepared hear his words read out loud. After a couple of teasing jokes, hugs and proposals for date he manages to calm the group down enough to hand over the rest.
Looking around he tries to spot Sebastian, the paper in his pocket it practically burning his skin, but he’s not there. Catching his eyes, Sebastian’s engineer nods to the back of the room, the changing room for the drivers before sending his a wink. Lance lets out a deep breath and heads in that direction.
Lance is definitely a lot more obvious than he thinks because he can see Chris and some of the mechanics giving him encouraging looks, before scamming to get everyone out of the room.
He knocks on the door and waits for an answer. “Come in.” comes a second later.
Walking inside he feels his heart speed up, the nerves of this morning coming back in full force when Sebastian smiles at him who’s sitting on a table putting on the rest of his suit.
“Hi,” Lance says closing the door behind him.
“Heard we had a cupid handing out cards today,” Sebastian teases, motioning for him to sit down but Lance is too nervous to even breath, let alone hold a proper conversation, “but somehow I didn’t get one.”
Lance bits at his lip, “Maybe if you were nicer to me, you would.” he says back, noticing Sebastian’s eyes on his hands in his pocket.
“When have I ever not been nice?” Sebastian questions, his voice sounding hurt and with a fake frown he gets up from the table. He heads over to the chair to pick up his jacket, Lance finally gathering the courage to make his move.
He pulls out the envelope out of his pocket, “Here,” he says waiting for Seb to turn, “Happy Valentine’s Day Seb.”
Sebastian smiles at him, looking down at the paper in his hand, “Thank you.” he says taking it from Lance, looking down at the beautifully drawn heart on the paper, “It’s wonderful.”
Lance can feel his hands sweating already, he’s gotten this far he can do this, “You need to pull on the heart.” he says after waiting for Sebastian who keeps turning it over and over. He gets a teasing look in return.
Sebastian pulls on the heart, “Oh,” the paper lets go of the top of the envelope, the card with Lance’s handwriting peaking underneath. “Intricate design, I’ll have to keep this one separate from the rest.” he jokes but Lance might actually pass out if that happens.
“Wonderful,” Sebastian says, but puts the card down on the table, “I can’t believe you remembered to do this for the team.” he looks at Lance with such care that is makes his knees week.
“Yeah- um I just- wanted to do something nice,” Lance answers, glancing around the room to calm down his nerves.
Sebastian grabs his jacket, “I’ll make sure to read it later.” he says glancing at Lance but he’s not smiling the same anymore, it’s more of a sad smile and for some reason it takes Lance back.
“No problem.” he says automatically, thinking of what to say, he can’t really force him to read it now, “It’s just some words I wrote- yeah later.”
“Great.” Sebastian gathers some of the things around him, while Lance stays in place. Should he ask him to read it now? What if he knows about it and wants to let him down gently? Does he leave?
“Chris!” Sebastian calls out for his engineer. “How much time do we have?”
“Seb?” Chris’s voice comes into the room, the older looking between them and noticing the envelope on the table, “Oh, sorry!” he looks at Lance who just shakes his head at him, “We- we’re staring in 2 minutes.” he adds looking nervous that he might have ruined the moment.
“Let’s go,” Lance says ushering all three of them out of the room.
*****
Mick picks up after the second ring.
“It’s been 3 hours and he still hasn’t said anything.” Lance voice came out as nothing more than a whisper. As the day went on his panic had turned into more of an acceptance that Sebastian does not share his feelings and this was his way of giving an answer.
He can hear Mick thinking over the phone, “Are you sure he read it?”
“I don’t know, probably not cause he’s acting like nothing happened.” Lance answers, slumping down against the wall.
“Maybe you should tell him yourself?” Mick offers, sounding a little unsure himself. Lance can hear Esteban walking around in the background, and tries not to think of the obstacles those two had to get over to be together.
He takes a deep breath, “I’m scared, there is too many people here…” he confesses.
“Please don’t worry alright? I know you got this, and even if he says no at least you’ll be able to let it go.” Mick says, his voice determined and strong, giving Lance some comfort that his friends will be there for him no matter what.
Lance closes his eyes, “Yeah, I guess so. The waiting is killing me.” he says wondering if he did something wrong or if Sebastian is just looking for the right time to tell him. “I’ll wait a little more. If he doesn’t say anything, I’ll ask him before he leaves.”
“Keep us posted, We’re here for you.” Esteban’s voice comes in thought the phone, and he can’t help but laugh. Nothing will ever compare to the support those two have for him.
“Yeah… ” he says, “I will.” A sound comes out from the room at the end of the hall, Lance turning to see if someone is coming to get him for the meeting, but it is just a false alarm,
Mick’s voice is back, probably laughing at something Esteban said, “And remember you’re still a lovely person with a great personality and ass, so have fun.”
“Bye, love you.” he giggles.
“Bye!!!”
Lance ends the call then looks at the windows in front of him. The sun is starting to dim down, they have a few hours to go but his hope is still there for his valentine to come.
He does not see Sebastian passing by his room moments before, hearing only the last bits of his conversation with a mystery man on the phone. Nor does he notices the way the blonde avoids his looks for the rest of the meeting, a small frown present on his lips.
*****
An hour later, when Lance is sitting down with his team taking a break he gets his answer. Sebastian comes over with some of his mechanics, Chris and Britta. They’re chatting about their day, the car is performing better than expected with the new body and regulations. Sebastian does not say anything, and maybe Lance is more grateful for that because he’s not in the mood for anything right now, so he slips into the background of the conversation.
“Lance,” a voice comes from next to him, taking him out of the trance, “Thanks for the card.” It’s Mikey, Seb’s mechanic, “It’s nice to see you get in touch with your sensitive side huh.” he nudges Lance is a playful manner, getting a small smile.
“I just wanted to make your Valentine a little nicer,” he responds, noticing their exchange has caught Seb’s attention as well.
Mikey turns to Sebastian, “I didn’t know he was this romantic.” he jokes.
Sebastian is still looking at Lance, “Neither did I,” but his smile does not reach his eyes, “It was very beautifully written.”
Lance’s world stops, Sebastian read his card, he knows, after so many years he finally confessed. But he hasn’t said anything yet, he’s looking at him with a small smile on his face. “It was very nice of you to do this for your friends. I’m glad we’re get to be teammates again.”
Lance just confessed his love and affection to his teammate. And he got turned down.
The rest of the time passed by in a second, Lance was proud of the fact he did not end up running to the toilets to cry his heart out. Waiting for everyone to leave he was left alone, making up a lie that he had somewhere to go later and will just wait it out here. It wasn’t until he heard the last of the cars leave did the first tear roll down his cheek. A few breaths in he was calling his friends, it was going to be a long night as Esteban’s voice came over the line and he immediate knew what had happened.
*****
Sebastian was just getting on the road when his phone rang. Mick’s name popped on the screen just as he turned on the road to his house, after the stressful and sad day he could use some support. The younger did not know about his feelings for Lance, he won’t ever, but talking to him always made him feel better. Putting it on speaker he picked up the call.
“Hey-” he tries to say before he gets cut off.
“Seb what did you- could you not have been nicer to him?! Like it’s not hard!” Mick is practically yelling over the phone. He looks down at the called ID and yeah, it’s him.
He keeps his eyes on the road, but his confusion is very clear, “What? Why are you yelling at me?”
Mick breaths out, “Lance.”
“Yeah?” Sebastian says.
“The card for Valentines why didn't you say anything.” Mick’s voice is laced with impatience and it only adds to his confusion. Did he help Lance come up with this?
“I did, i told him it was pretty and a nice thing to do.” Sebastian answers, looking over to the other seat at his bag. His card is still in it unopened.
There is a loud voice in the background, someone is loudly talking, but somehow Mick’s voice comes over even more strong, “What-what about what was written?
Sebastian furrows his brows, “What is this about?” he asks. Looking at the line of cars in front of him, it’s going to take a while to get home and he’s not in the mood to have a fight with his friend on Valentine’s Day. A red light comes on just in time for him to stop.
“What did you say about what he wrote in it?” he can hear Mick moving in the background to a less busy room, “Seb it’s not hard to just pull him aside and just tell him no!”
“What?” Did Lance complain about him? “I was nice!” he runs his hand though his hair, he knew he acted a little moody but did everyone notice, “I read Chris’ card he showed me the note, I know, he even hand wrote them, i told it it was beautiful-”
“No!” Mick’s tone takes him back, he’s never heard him so frustrated or angry at him, “No, your card, what he wrote in your card? Did you open it?!”
Sebastian swallows hard, a feeling of having done something wrong washes over him, “No, didn't get the chance-”
“Open it!!” Mick cuts him off again.
The light turns green, “Mick I’m driving, I already read what he wrote.”
“No, you haven’t, pull over and open it!” Mick protests, and the noise is back in the background- why is Esteban being so loud? Did they have a fight?
“Why?”
“I’m not - Just do it, please.” Mick asks, his voice is hopeful and for some reason it makes him feel worried.
Sebastian looks forward to the cars in front of him, his mind racing between a hundred different scenarios. What is going on, he thinks. Spotting a parking he makes the split second decision to turn into in it, stopping at one of the spots.
He grabs the bag from the seat, looking thought it to find the card as his heart starts to pick up. What did he write in it? Sebastian swears it was the same message as the rest of the team, he probably wrote something more to him but still. The envelope is a little bent at one of the edge but it perfect condition as he left it. The top is still open but the card had not been taken out. He sees Lance’s handwriting, his name written at the top, as he slowly pulls out the paper he reads over the lines.
Dear Seb,
I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while but I never had to courage to do it. You’re someone I hold very close to my heart, someone that makes my heart beat faster when I’m around you, who makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world because I know you. It may sound stupid but I dream for the days I get to spend with you. So for today only -
Will you be my valentine? <3
“Oh no…” a gasp falls for his lips as he realizes what had happened. He’s been so caught up in his own feelings of jealousy and insecurity he missed his chance.
“Seb?” Mick’s voice comes over the line.
Sebastian looks up from the paper, “No! Mick!”
Mick huffs on the other side, he knew about this, “Yeah no shit, he's on the phone with Este crying his eyes out.” his voice is both accusatory and sad. Sebastian think of the noise he heard before, that he could still hear in the background.
“Fuck. I need to go back.” he says, frantically thinking of how he’s going to fix this mess. Lance, sweet dear Lance who has a hard time with any kind of conflict wrote him such a beautiful thing and even asked him out.
“Wait no! Just call him.” Mick’s voice took him out of his self pity.
Sebastian shook his head, “No way, I need to make this right-” but Mick cut him off again.
“Do you like him? Cause if you don’t you’ll just drive back to break his heart again.” Sebastian did not know if he should be more proud of Mick being so protective or so mature.
Shaking his head he answered, “Yes, yes I do. Fuck I’m so- I can’t believe this.” He remembers back to the way Lance’s smile had fallen when Mickey teased him about the card. Turning the car around, Sebastian got on the road back to Silverstone, hoping to catch Lance.
He could hear Mick whispering to someone, probably Esteban, about keeping his in place, before he came back on the call, “I need you to know he's been gathering up the courage to do this for a year. So give him a chance he might be emotional.”
Sebastian looked back at the card before pressing on the gas, “Okay, thank you.”
“Good luck.”
*****
Walking into the building Sebastian quickly found where the other driver was, only one room had the light on so as he got closer he could hear the sounds of someone silently crying. He tries to calm down his nerves, knowing that the person he holds so dear not only returned his feelings but also tried to get them together and the only thing he did was hurt him.
Apologizing has never been his strong suit, especially when what he did wasn’t on purpose but this time it’s different. Standing by the door and seeing Lance sitting on one of the tables and nodding along to something Esteban was saying on the phone made him want to pull him into his arms and never let go.
He gently knocked on the door, spooking Lance a little. Their eyes met and Sebastian could clearly see the tears in his eyes, his wide eyes looking back at him with lips red from biting. Lance looked down at his phone, telling Esteban he would call him back, quickly going to wipe away his tears. If he wasn’t feeling so horrible, Sebastian would have laughed at the way he tries to look like nothing happened.
“Hey, what happened?” he asked, stepping closer.
Lance won’t look at him, instead looking at the floor with blushing cheeks and and a shaky voice, “Nothing. I was talking to…”
Sebastian looks down at the card in his hand, at the words on the paper wondering what he can say to fix this. “Really?” he asks.
Lance looks up at him, but notices the card and turns his gaze away looking both sad and frustrated but saying nothing.
Sebastian comes closer, now within a few centimeters from the table Lance is sitting on. He breaths out a deep sight, “I- Chris gave me his to read, and then Britta so I thought you had written them all the same.” he tries to explain.
“They weren’t.” he says, playing with the sleeves on his shirt but he’s no longer looks as upset.
“I didn’t think to open it, it wasn’t on purpose.” Sebastian puts the card on the table, not moving his eyes from Lance, “Mick told me.” he adds.
Lance covers his face, “Oh my god!” he says smiling, and Sebastian can see the blush creeping up his face.
He walks to stand in front of him, can’t help but smile as well. “ He called me a dick for ruining your surprise and he was right.” he says putting his hand on Lance knee.
“He’s not, I should have asked you, and not…” Lance looks up at him, his eyes puffy and red, the messy hair falling over his face but Sebastian couldn’t help but find him cute either way.
He smiles at him, taking Lance’s hand in his, “Can I be honest?” Lance nods biting his lip.
"I was jealous.”
Lance’s mouth feel open, “Oh, I-” but he didn’t really know what to say.
Smiling at him, Sebastian continued, “I heard you were planning something from Mick, but then I got to work and I saw everyone got one. I didn’t want to share you, not on Valentine’s day. So instead of asking you out, I ruined your day.” he gently touches Lance’s face, wiping away the tears.
Lance shakes his head, squeezing his hand smiling, “You didn’t. I guess we both assumed things.”
Sebastian cannot help but lean in, standing between his legs he touches their forehead together. His heart is ready to jump out of his chest, what did he do to deserves such a beautiful human. “I’m sorry, can you ever forgive me?”
Lance giggles at his dramatics, “I can try.”
Sebastian can feel him shaking with laughter so he pulls away, “Anything I can do to help?”
“Maybe,” Lance’s voice drops a little, he looks down at his lips but does not answer. Sebastian moves his hands to his waist meeting him half way to close the distance between them. The kiss is soft and tender, just a touch of the lips because both of them are smiling from ear to ear. Lance smells of a track, oil or cars but also of sweet perfume, flowers and also the sea.
As they pull away a thought crosses his mind, “Lance,” he says, waiting for the other to look at him, and with a serious face asks, “can I be your valentine?”
“Yes!” Lance hits his shoulder, jumping out from the table to finally hug him. Sebastian is warm, cuddle, the height difference is not an issue when he looks down at the most beautiful eyes in the world.
Sebastian laughs as he receives another kiss but this time on his nose. Lance laughs as well, before letting out a sight. He checks his phone but his expression does not change.
“I would to ask you to dinner, but the reservation was at 6 and I already give away the flowers to the cleaning lady.” he says sounding a little down, but Sebastian just pulls him closer. “She gave me this chocolate. ” he adds pointing at the table like it will make up for it.
Sebastian looks at the man in his arms that a couple of days ago was just a fantasy of unrequited love, “Lucky for us,” he says lacing their fingers together, “I know how to cook and my garden is very beautiful at night.”
Lance leans in for another kiss. Maybe confessing on Valentine's Day isn't so bad after all.