Fic: Interconnection, Part 9b
Pairing: Mark Webber/Sebastian Vettel
Rating: M
Synopsis: Mark and Seb meet up post-qualifying in Belgium
Word count: 3,988
Disclaimer: Didn’t happen, never will. Don’t like, don’t read.
Back in the paddock, Heikki was getting sick of waiting around. There wasn’t much to do in Sebastian’s motorhome, and he was contemplating moving to the main motorhome for the remainder of the countdown. If he did that, he figured, he might be able to ask Rocky or Britta about Sebastian’s weird behaviour. Mark suddenly becoming a priority was strange, even with Daniel Ricciardo apparently on the verge of being signed. This wasn’t to say that mending the strained relationship wasn’t honourable - it just felt reactionary to Heikki. The champion had no reason to feel so insecure.
This was his team.
Heikki checked the time. His boss was due back soon. Thinking the cleaning would pass the time, he decided to tidy anything that was in plain sight. This included wiping down the kitchenette and tidying the living area.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t that much to do. He didn’t want to get too intrusive by assuming he could touch everything, nor did he want to offend. So he went back to lounging around on the couch, and this was how Sebastian found him when he returned.
Immediately suspicious, the driver scanned the area and shot Heikki a strange look. ‘What’s with the cleaning?’
He shrugged. ‘I got bored.’
‘Right.’ Sebastian tossed Heikki his keys back and then dumped his backpack on the floor, before then stepping away to to find some sleepwear in his suitcase.
‘Um, sorry?’
‘Nah, it’s cool.’
‘Okay.’ Heikki still detected a bit of awkwardness on the return. ‘Congratulations on getting back on time. Uh, how’d it go?’
‘He’s…frustrating.’ The answer seemed absent.
‘Yeah, well, maybe another time will be better.’
‘Maybe.’
Sensing that it was time to leave, and that Sebastian was in an okay frame of mind, Heikki approached his boss and clapped him on the back. ‘Get some rest now, huh?’
He was rewarded with a smile. ‘Yeah. Thanks, man.’
Normally Heikki would’ve provided extra reassurance by laughing, but something caught his eye as he turned away. He didn’t even really process what he’d seen until he had exited.
Amongst Sebastian’s clothes in the suitcase had been a stash of condoms and what looked to be a small tube of lubricant. It seemed odd that he’d have these items when Hanna was back at home.
Had there been a sleight of hand, with the items being dumped there just minutes ago? Perhaps Sebastian hadn’t really seen Mark at all. He could’ve been with someone else.
Or maybe the items had been in the suitcase all along, and were there in case of a surprise trip.
Perplexed, and not entirely sure whether any of this was his business, Heikki made a mental note to at least keep his ears open when it came to Mark’s side of the garage tomorrow. Surely the outspoken Australian would say something if there really had been a meeting tonight.
It was timely that he thought this, as he caught Britta coming out of the Energy Station. She too was headed back to the hotel.
‘Hey, did Seb mention anything about going to see Mark tonight?’ he asked as they walked to the car park.
Britta was taken aback, so much so that she laughed in response. ‘Funny.’
‘Don’t tell him I told you then. He said he wanted to make peace or something.’
‘With Mark?’
‘Do you think he’s worried that Mark will poison Dan’s mind? If the seat is definitely going to him?’
‘Have you met Dan?’ Britta laughed more naturally this time. ‘Just because he’s Australian doesn’t mean he’s Mark 2.0.’
‘I don’t know. Something’s off. But it could be nothing.’
He decided not to bring up the possibility of being set up as an alibi. Sebastian didn’t seem like that kind of guy.
Conscious of the time of night, Heikki did the gentlemanly thing and walked Britta to her hire car before heading to his own. Paranoid, he checked the back seat for obvious stains, but there was nothing suggestive of any action.
‘I’m going crazy,’ he said to himself.
Perhaps the teammate speculation was driving him mad too. He was still hoping, most likely in vain, that Kimi Raikkonen was still in contention. At least Kimi was a known quantity; Seb got along with him just fine.
Nine more races and there won’t be any more Mark Webber drama.
*
The next day, Sebastian won. It was a commanding victory.
Post-race, Mark decided to wind down in his room in the Red Bull motorhome, choosing to ignore the pomp and ceremony of the podium and associated aftermath. He hadn’t really stood a chance after the poor start - the clutch had been like a tractor’s. Frankly, he wasn’t sure how to feel, but he drew on his mental strength anyway.
Sebastian wasn’t going to claim his prize right now, not here in the main motorhome. But he was going to want to meet tonight. Mark knew that.
Which is why he was a little surprised when there was a knock on his door. Surely his teammate was too caught up in his race victory to come see him this soon.
He was right. When he opened the door, it wasn’t Sebastian standing there.
It was Britta.