#also happy race weekend let us manifest good results for lewis and seb

[foolhearts]

you were made to steal my heart

lewis hamilton/sebastian vettel, 1.3k

happy birthday @collarboen!!! i wrote this scene/snippet of a fic idea we've discussed :) this is only sort of a fic bc it's minimally edited and not beta'd (excuse any mistakes). i just kept thinking about this scene so i threw some words onto a page. hope you enjoy!!!

Lewis is heading back to his motorhome when he hears a familiar voice calling his name. He turns to see Sebastian jogging toward him. Seb's changed out of his fireproofs and is wearing his usual ensemble of an Aston Martin zip-up with sensible pants and sneakers. His hair is a bit disheveled and his beard is longer than Lewis has seen in a long time. He’s a sight for sore eyes. Lewis smiles and stops to let him catch up.

“Good first day?” Sebastian asks as he reaches Lewis, grinning and tilting his head toward the track.

Lewis hesitates, not sure how honest he should be. It’s only the first day of testing so it might be too early to tell, but he senses the W13 isn’t quite where it needs to be. He also hasn’t worked with the engineers as much as he would've liked coming into Barcelona.

“I’m excited to be back but I have a lot of work to do,” he admits. “It’s been a busy offseason and it’s an adjustment to get back into the car, even after all these years. And I’m not sure how we’ll fare with the new regulations.” He wouldn’t tell that to any other driver but this is Sebastian. Their friendship has deepened over the years and if there’s anyone who would understand, it’s Seb.

Sebastian nods sympathetically. “I know what you mean. I’m struggling with the car a bit and there’s many adjustments I need to make.” He flexes and extends his neck with a slight grimace. “I could also use a neck massage right about now.”

“At least you’ve raced recently. I saw those photos and videos at the Race of Champions.” Lewis can’t help laughing as he recalls the video of Seb running in the snow in shorts.

“Ah, so you’ve been keeping tabs on me,” Sebastian teases, a light flush entering his cheeks.

“I always keep tabs on my competition,” Lewis replies with a grin, referencing a little running joke between them.

“I don’t know that I’ve been your competition for a few years now. You’re probably better off redirecting your resources to monitor somebody else.” Sebastian’s tone is light but Lewis knows how painful the past couple years have been for him.

“You’re still my favorite rival,” Lewis says firmly. He figures it’s time to change the subject. “Hey, I’m sorry for not replying to your messages for most of the offseason.”

Sebastian waves a hand. “Oh, it’s okay. They’re mostly informational messages anyway. No response required.”

Lewis chuckles fondly as he thinks about the texts Seb sends. They’re usually singular photos of something new or interesting he’s discovered or they involve one of his hobbies. This offseason the photos he had sent Lewis included his beehive, plants in his garden, the view from a hike he discovered, his new gluten free bread recipe, among others. But Seb had also texted a week after Abu Dhabi asking how Lewis was doing, and Lewis hadn’t replied to that message either.

“Besides,” Sebastian continues, “I don’t blame you for needing a break from everything and taking time for yourself after how the season ended.”

Lewis takes a breath. “There was another reason too,” he confesses. “Do you want to go back to my motorhome to catch up?”

Sebastian raises an eyebrow at the request. They both know their friendship has never involved casually hanging out in each other’s motorhomes.

“Yeah, sure, as long as I’m not intruding. I’m sure you’re busy and you probably also want to just relax,” Sebastian answers pragmatically.

Lewis could still take it back; he could agree that he’s tired and they’ll talk tomorrow. But he shakes his head. “I’d love to catch up with you and hear the stories behind the photos you sent.”

Sebastian gestures for Lewis to lead the way.

When Lewis opens the door to his motorhome, Angela is sitting on the sofa working on her laptop. She glances up and gives Lewis a knowing look when she sees Sebastian behind him.

“Hi Seb.” She smiles and nods in greeting.

“Hello Angela! It’s good to see you.” Sebastian steps into the room after Lewis. He surveys the living room and pauses the moment he notices the baby sleeping in the bassinet next to the sofa.

“Seb, this is Amelia,” Lewis introduces. “My daughter.” He answers the question that is undoubtedly on the tip of Sebastian’s tongue.

Lewis can see a flicker of confusion then surprise before Sebastian’s face melts in a grin and his eyes light up. “Oh Lewis, she’s beautiful. She looks like you.”

“Thank you,” Lewis answers, relieved at how Seb is reacting to the news. He feels the tension he didn't know he was carrying ease from his shoulders.

Sebastian’s already walked over next to the bassinet and crouched down so he’s nearly eye level with Amelia. “Nice to meet you,” he whispers, studying her as he watches her sleep.

Lewis chuckles at the look of concentration on Seb’s face. It’s reminiscent of when he’s inspecting a car.

Angela clears her throat. Lewis tears his eyes away from Seb and Amelia. Angela’s standing by the door, holding her laptop, a bemused expression on her face. “I’m gonna head to hospitality for dinner. It’ll be time for Amelia’s next meal soon too. She’s probably going to wake up any minute now.”

“Thanks, Ange.” Lewis can’t express how grateful he is for her. He knew it would be difficult when he decided to come back with Amelia for this season and he definitely would not have done it if not for the support from everyone in his life, including his family and Angela and Toto.

As if on cue, Amelia starts fussing, her eyes blinking open. “Oh!” Sebastian exclaims. “Is it ok if I hold her?” He gestures toward her. “I promise I know how to hold a baby. And I’ll try not to make her cry.”

Lewis nods. “Yeah, of course. She has been a little wary of new people at first, but you can try. Let me get a bottle so you can feed her, that might help.” He goes to the kitchen to prepare and warm up some formula. He doesn’t hear Amelia crying which is a good sign.

When he goes back into the living room, Sebastian is sitting down on the sofa, cradling Amelia in his arms as she looks at him with a delighted expression on her face. Her arms are outstretched as she tries to grab at his beard.

He laughs loudly. “What do you think, Amelia? Do I need to shave it off?”

“Actually, I like it and I think she does too,” Lewis interrupts as he sits down next to them and hands Sebastian the bottle.

Sebastian murmurs his thanks and shifts Amelia in his arms so he can lift the bottle to her mouth. She starts drinking hungrily, her wide eyes staring up at him.

Lewis can’t take his eyes off Sebastian feeding Amelia. He’s holding her like she’s precious and gazing at her like she’s the best thing he’s ever seen. Lewis can relate to that. He tries to ignore the tight feeling in his chest.

Sebastian glances between Lewis and Amelia, his brow slightly furrowed. “Lewis, I don’t want to pry but... are you raising her alone?”

Lewis knows what Seb really means to ask is, where is her mother?

Lewis leans over and gently smooths down Amelia’s hair. She giggles around the bottle when she notices him. He loves her so much and he can’t imagine his life without her, even though it’s only been a few months.

He looks back up at Seb with a faint smile. “Yeah. It’s just me. I mean, I have the help of my family and Angela and so many other people. But there’s no mom or anybody else because, well, she’s a wish baby.”

#thank you for reading!!! #yes i do have a whole headcanon about this bc my brain is unhinged #(i did steal the baby name from autumn bc i love it and she has the best ideas) #anyway who knows if i'll ever be able to wrangle it into actual fic #but my inbox is always open to discuss ideas and yell about seb lewis f1 etc #come chat with me! #also happy race weekend let us manifest good results for lewis and seb #quali feels like a fever dream #seb/lewis #sewis #my fic #fic stuff