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Mick Schumacher was feeling the pressure of the race, his heart pounding in his chest as he leaned against the wall of the garage, trying to catch his breath. He had just come off the track, disappointed with his performance, and couldn't shake the feeling of frustration. He couldn't believe he had made such a rookie mistake as catching his wheel onto the wall.
This mistake cost him a chance at podium and any point he may have gotten. He sat there simmering in anger, almost daring anyone to walk up to him and ask how he was. The others, knowing the young German's frustration, avoided him and carried on with their work.
Unfortunately, one young woman didn't catch onto the hint, Lyra Williams, a new PR manager for Mick, coming fresh out of her home country of England.
Lyra was walking by when she caught sight of her new... partner? Honestly she wasn't sure what they were, coworkers maybe. She saw Mick leaning against the wall looking a bit frustrated. She of course had seen the race, and the heartbreak that went along with Mick's crash.
Taking a breath, she approached him, hoping to offer anything and introduce herself, as the two had never formally met.
"Excuse me, Mister Schumacher?" she said tentatively.
Mick looked up, his eyes flashing with annoyance, who dared to disturb his inner turmoil over the race. Honestly, can't a man get a moment's peace without someone trying to get him to do something
"What?" he snapped, huffing a little as he looked up from his crouched position near the garage at a young woman.
Lyra was taken aback by the harsh tone and stared at him for a few seconds.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. I just wanted to ask if you were alright, and introduce myself. I'm Lyra, Lyra Williams, your new PR manager?"
Unfortunately, the soft words of comfort and introduction did little to help the steaming anger. Mick glared at the woman as he slowly stood up facing her,
"No, you know it's not alright! I crashed, made a mistake which cost me a chance at points and podium, and I am constantly annoyed by nosy people telling me to do things and constantly nagging me! lassen Sie mich allein!"
His voice had increased volume by the end of his rant, and his face flushed a little from the frustration. His normally bright blue eyes were now stormy.
Lyra, getting the brute force of this rant stood there silent for a few moments, eyes wide and then blinked, once, twice, three times. She opened her mouth, but with no words coming out closed it.
Mick, seemingly satisfied with his lashing out, turned heel and stormed away from here. Lyra stood there, watching as the racer walked away in a huff. She was honestly stunned by the interaction. This was definitely not how her first introductions wanted to go.
A hand tapped on her shoulder and she gasped, whirling around to find...
Daniel Ricciardo. The man, the myth, the honey badger!
He smiled crookedly at her and then spoke,
"So, you got your first taste of Mick, must say, that wasn't as bad as it could have gone."
"You mean it could have gone worse?!" Lyra, still shocked to see the driver, managed to get out.
"Oh yeah. He gets into a mood sometimes, but don't worry, he'll probably come around later and apologize. So, who are you anyways? Fan, Reporter, mechanic...?" Daniel listed out the jobs, dragging them out, as if waiting for her.
Ryla started and luckily managed to say without making a fool of herself,
"PR manager, first day on the job."
Daniel started laughing. It was a nice laugh, one that made you smile alongside it.
"Well, congrats on your job! Oh boy, this will certainly be fun."
Lyra raised an eyebrow, looking at him curiously,
"What do you mean fun? Why, what's going to happen?"
Daniel just smiled mischievously and said,
"Oh nothing, nothing at all. It was nice to meet you Lyra!" Daniel walked off then stopped, "By the way, Mick is probably hanging out near his motorhome, it's the last one on the right after you exit your garage! Toodles!"
Lyra scoffed a little and wandered around the garage for a few minutes. Her mind kept replaying Daniel's words and Mick's rant. Should she really go and try to make peace with him? I mean he is the reason she has a job...
Lyra sighed a big, long, deep sigh and then turned to exit the garage and head toward the man who had previously yelled at her. Walking along the path, Lyra admired the city surroundings. It was very beautiful and full of life and color.
Finally, she reached her destination and mentally prepped herself. She then walked up the stairs and knocked on the tiny door. She waited a few seconds and then tentatively knocked again.
"Ja? Who is it?" A voice inside the motorhome came.
"Hi, Mr. Schumacher? It's Lyra....your PR manager? I sort of talked with you earlier today, I hoped maybe we could have another chat, and possibly let me apologize-"
Lyra was cut off by the door swinging open, as Mick appeared at the doorway wearing jeans and a Haas polo looking disheveled. Lyra took in his appearance and smiled faintly. He looked like he still hadn't completely woken up yet from a nap, and his hair was in disarray.
Once the German driver realized who it was, his face dropped and he gave a deadpan look
"What do you want?" he snapped.
Lyra took a step back, startled by his still sharp tone.
"I just wanted to talk," she said, focusing on keeping her voice steady.
Mick grunted, sighed, and stepped back to let her in. Lyra followed him inside and sat down on one of the chairs, feeling like a fish out of water in the cramped and cluttered space.
Mick sat across from her, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"What do you want to talk about?" he asked gruffly.
Lyra took a deep breath and launched into her carefully rehearsed speech that she made while walking over here.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for whatever I did to upset you earlier, I know that you're under a lot of pressure right now, and I can imagine how stressful it must be to have so many people putting their faith in you during the races."
Mick's expression softened a bit at her words, and he uncrossed his arms.
"It's not just the pressure," he said, his voice quieter now. "I just feel like I can't catch a break, you know? Every time I think I'm making progress, something happens to set me back."
Lyra's thoughts froze for a second, as she looked at the man who was being frankly vulnerable in front of her. She nodded sympathetically and then quietly spoke.
"I can understand how frustrating that must be," she said. "But you're not alone, Mick. You have a whole team of people at Haas who are here to support you, including me. I get it that I'm just a PR manager, and it may be annoying since some people don't like all of that, but I will do my best at my job. Hopefully we can become civil to each other?"
Mick lightly scoffed and smiled a little as he looked up at her, his blue eyes searching hers.
"Do you mean that?" he asked, his voice soft.
Lyra nodded, feeling a warmth spreading through her chest at the man in front of her.
"Of course I do," she said. "I want you to succeed, Mick. And I believe that you will.
Mick stood there, in silence. He seemed stunned by her words, as if he couldn't imagine the woman he had yelled at was now offering him words of support and encouragement.
"Thank you, Lyra. That means a lot, I'll do better next time to not get frustrated at you. Thank you for coming around and talking to me. Really, I appreciate it, many people wouldn't have taken that time."
They stood in a now comfortable silence, getting a feel for their new blossoming friendship. Then Mick suddenly looked up at Lyra and smiled excitedly
"Will you be at the party? We always have one when we are here racing. It's kind of a tradition! You should come, probably good for you job too."
"Oh, well I hadn't thought of it, but I would love to go. Thank you for the invitation, Mick!"
Lyra perked up at the mention of spending more time around him. She honestly wanted to build their friendship... and maybe because Mick's blonde hair, accent, and blue eyes were very nice to look at. Mick smiled and opened the motorhome door to let Lyra out.
Before she turned the street corner, he shouted something out to her,
"See you at the party, Schön!" And then closed the door again.
Lyra then spent the next few hours picking out a dress to wear and freshening herself up. As the time got closer and closer, the woman grew more and more nervous.
This was her first time at a big, fancy party, and she frankly didn't know what to expect. She shook her head and picked out the perfect dress to wear.
Mick stood in his hotel room, which was finally available, stressing. He always was stressed, but this seemed worse. The party was different now that Lyra was going to be there.
He ran a hand over his face and let out a sigh, picking up his phone he dialed the one person he knew could help.
"Hey! What's up Little Schumacher! How's it going?" The voice of Danny Ricciardo rang through the phone
"Hello Dan, listen I need some help... It's about my new PR manager, Lyra. You know her right?"
"Know her? Yes! I was the one to convince her to go straighten your sad ass! I'm glad it worked, that's why you're calling isn't it? You're going to ask me how to kiss the girl?!"
"What? Nien! Well, yes! But no! Dan, I just need some advice on how to act. I did act like a complete idiot in front of her!"
"Look mate, it's going to sound cheesy, but be yourself. Listen, she's a nice girl! And I'm pretty sure she likes you too, I mean she did go back and want to smooth things over with you-"
"yes, but that could just be her doing her job! I just don't know. I do like her, she's kind and smart, I mean she works for Formula 1! Of course she is smart!"
"Alright lover boy, alright. Look, just relax and enjoy yourself! Have fun!"
"But-" Daniel hung up before he could get another word out. Mick was left still wondering, as the sun set through his hotel window. He glanced down and was reminded why he named Daniel a dummer, süßer Dachs.
As Mick approached the entrance to the party, he felt the butterflies in his stomach. He forced himself to relax as he waited for Lyra.
"Mick? Hi! Fancy seeing you here." A voice rang from behind him.
He turned and saw Lyra standing there in a stunning red dress. He couldn't help but feel his breath catch in his throat. He had never seen her look so beautiful before.
"Wow," he said, approaching her with a smile. "You look amazing."
Lyra blushed at the compliment, feeling a bit self-conscious.
"Thanks, Mick. You don't look too bad yourself," she replied, taking in his sharp suit and neatly styled hair.
Mick grinned, feeling more relaxed now that they had made up after their earlier argument.
"Shall we go inside?" he asked, offering her his arm.
Lyra nodded, feeling a rush of excitement as she linked her arm through his. As they made their way into the party, Mick introduced her to some of his friends in the racing world including Lewis, George, Lando, and Carlos.
Lyra couldn't help but feel a bit starstruck as she chatted with some of the drivers she had only seen on TV before. As the night wore on and the drinks flowed, Mick and Lyra found themselves in a quiet corner of the room, away from the crowds.
They talked about their lives outside of racing and discovered that they had more in common than they thought.
"I'm sorry again for snapping at you earlier," Mick said, taking a sip of his drink. "I get really stressed out before races, and I take it out on the people around me."
Lyra nodded understandingly.
"It's okay, Mick. I get it. I'm here to support you, and I want to help in any way I can."
Mick smiled back at her, feeling grateful for her understanding.
"I'd like that too," he said. "In fact, I was thinking maybe we could grab dinner together sometime this week?"
Lyra's heart skipped a beat as she nodded, feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation.
"I would love that," she said.
Mick then leaned in to kiss Lyra, she felt her heart skip a beat. His lips were soft and warm against hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. She could feel his hands on her back, pulling her closer to him as they shared this moment.
After a few seconds, they pulled away, both of them breathing heavily. Mick looked at her with a mixture of desire and tenderness in his eyes, and Lyra couldn't help but smile. Mick leaned in once again and kissed her more gently on the lips, causing Lyra to feel a wave of electricity run through her body. They pulled back, smiling at each other.
"That was... nice." She said softly, looking at the blonde racer.
Mick blushed a little and slightly turned his face away.
"Yes, I liked it too." They stood for a few moments staring into each other's eyes before a bang interrupted them.
"So you did do it, you dog!" The cheerful, slightly drunk voice of Daniel came from the corner.
Mick turned around and glared at the older driver.
"Dan, I really like you, but please. Leave!"
The driver stood there, laughing as Mick turned back to Lyra,
"I'll text you later about dinner," Mick said, before kissing her once more on the cheek and going to chase after Daniel.
Lyra watched the two run around with a smile on her face. She was really glad she became a PR manager.