Summary: Upon joining Formula 1 this year, there has been a lot of scrutiny regarding Oscar and if he was really up for the challenge. More confident than ever in his abilities with you by his side, he is ready to prove everyone wrong.
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Formula 1 was no joke.
The amount of stress the drivers were being subjected to was sometimes almost ridiculous. Add that to also being a fresh rookie in the business and you're done for.
That's exactly how Oscar felt ever since joining McLaren for this year's season.
Getting the opportunity was everything he had been working towards ever since he was a little boy just starting up in karting. It was his dream to race in the big leagues, and now it was finally happening.
However, the first half of the season hadn't been going that well for your boyfriend.
He had been having a hard time getting a grip on the car, on the new tracks he hadn't driven before. F1 was much more demanding than F2 and it was taking a while for Oscar to get used to it.
You were there for him every single step of the way, cheering him on and supporting him fully. However, there was just so much you could do.
The thoughts in his head couldn't be controlled and oftentimes he wouldn't let you in because he would think it was something he had to deal with on his own. No matter how many times you asked, he just wouldn't budge.
The summer break had been the one thing both of you had been looking forward to. You had been planning a trip back to Australia so Oscar could visit his parents and you were hoping some time away from the chaos of it all would be good for his mental health.
But of course, Oscar being Oscar, the first thing he did after arriving at his home in Australia was jump in the simulator he had set up at home, practicing different tracks for hours on end.
You would just about convince him to take breaks to eat and use the bathroom.
After 3 days of constantly sitting in the sim chair, you had decided that enough was enough.
It needs to stop.
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"Baby?" you called out, entering his game room where he had been in ever since he woke up several hours ago.
"Hm?" he barely acknowledged that someone else was in the room with him, his eyes trained on the track he was practicing.
"Can we talk for a minute, please?" you stopped behind his chair and put your hands on his shoulders, trying to get him to come back to Earth.
"In a moment, darling. Just let me finish this race and we'll talk, okay?" he quickly looked up and offered you a smile before his attention was back to the screen.
You sighed but mumbled an okay, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on the top of his head.
Having some time on your hand, you just decided to sit down on the small couch in the corner of the room, scrolling through your phone while waiting.
After a couple of minutes, you heard the simulator turning off and Oscar joining you on the couch, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pecking your temple.
"What did you want to talk about?"
You sighed before twisting around to face him.
"You know I love you, right?" the words made Oscar's stomach turn.
Nothing good ever comes out after those words. Still, he decided to remain calm.
"I do. I love you too"
You nodded, twisting your lips while deep in thought, trying to come up with a nice way to say what you wanted to say.
"I know how hard it's been for you this past few months, signing with McLaren and getting used to the stress and chaos that's F1. And I'm unbelievably proud of you baby, but what you're doing isn't healthy. You're a rookie, baby, you're learning the ropes and nobody expects you to get everything right on your first try. Everyone makes mistakes and the point is to learn from them. I know you've had a rough first half of the season, but it's not over yet. You need to take care of yourself and not let yourself lose sight of the big goal, baby. Obsessing over things and spending every waking moment in that sim while neglecting your health and training isn't helping anyone, my love" you took his face in your hands, cradling it.
He looked at you deeply, knowing that you were right.
He nodded, looking down at your lap so you wouldn't be able to see his lip quivering.
"I just wanted to prove to everyone that I deserve the seat and I deserve to be here" his voice was small, almost like a little child's.
Your heart broke at that.
Seeing your boyfriend fight so hard just so he could prove to his fans that he deserved to be a McLaren driver, putting that huge pressure on his health to prove himself made tears well up in the corner of your eyes.
"Baby, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. You are here for a reason and that is the fact that you are so immensely talented, my love. You've worked your ass off ever since you were a little boy and McLaren saw that, which is exactly why they fought so hard to sign you. You need to give yourself some credit and be proud of where you are, Os" you were caressing his cheek with your thumb, slowly gathering the tears that had started flowing down his cheeks.
"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry" he buried his face in your neck, sobs wrecking his body.
You kissed the side of his head as you held him tightly, grateful that he could finally let out everything he had been pushing down for months.
And you were right there for him.
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Oscar hated being told "I told you so", but he was grateful you got to say that to him in that moment.
Upon returning from the summer break, both McLaren drivers seemingly did a 180 and started absolutely dominating the grid every single race and every single sprint race.
You genuinely thought things couldn't get any better, but then Qatar rolled around.
And Oscar won his first ever Sprint in Formula 1.
To say that you were proud beyond words wouldn't do justice to what you were feeling.
Seeing him holding the P1 trophy made your heart swell and your stomach fill with butterflies like they did when you were just a young teenager falling for Oscar for the first time. Upon seeing him holding that trophy, you found yourself falling in love over and over again.
When the hype after the race finally calmed down and Oscar was finally able to return to his driver room where you had been waiting, there were only 4 words that needed to be said.
"I told you so"
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