My Book of Fics

The Internship (1) - Daniel Ricciardo

You didn't think that you would go through a career change in your late twenties. You decided that life was too short to settle on something that you don't want to do. That's what brought you to accepting a comms internship with the McLaren Formula 1 team. To you there was nothing bigger than professional sport and nothing greater than motor racing at its highest level. The minute you step into McLaren's headquarters you feel like you've come back home after being away from what you love for so long. The desk job you once held in London never felt quite right even though it was what everyone told you was perfect for you. When you told your closest friends and family that you were going back to school for a communications diploma they expressed their shock, but quickly showed their support. The feeling of being in the world of Motorsport, even if only for an internship, proved that it was where you should've been all along. The race weekend comms teams adopting you as one of their own even if you were one of the oldest of the bunch, with the lowest pay that came in the form of a monthly stipend.

••••

The first race weekend that you get to join is exhilarating, nerve-wracking and everything you've ever dreamed of. While all of the comms team knew your name, they developed a habit of calling you mum, since you were the oldest. It quickly caught on with McLaren staff outside of the comms department, making for interesting moments when they would call out for mum across the paddock where other teams could hear. Somewhere in the chaos of the weekend you find yourself learning so much from your peers as content is developed from ideas and concepts pitched before the season began.

You're replying to a text from your supervisor when you first meet Daniel, his press officer by his side prepping him for the media. "Hey mum!" she exclaims making you look up quickly, the Australian driver lifts an eyebrow in question at her name for you. "How's the media?" you ask the girl you've gotten to know decently well in the past few weeks of your internship, "I've heard that they're brutal today" she replies with a frown, you sigh, "god they need to chill to be honest" you exclaim getting a laugh out of Daniel which makes you blush and avoid his gaze for a reason unknown to you. "So wise of you to say at your old age" you scoff and she winks letting you know that she's joking, "just go before I get blamed for holding up media duties" she quickly squeezes your arm in passing, making you smile while shaking your head at the team's antics. Your mind stuck on the way you reacted to Daniel's laughter as you finish your reply to the supervisor, feeling uneasy about the driver's quick effect on you.

••••

The team meeting prior to a race weekend a couple of weeks later is when, for the first time, you get to pitch an idea. At first you're shocked into silence, but you quickly gather your thoughts into something legible for your team. You somehow get through the explanation of the season wide scavenger hunt idea that you've been sitting on, feeling confident when you see the many smiles around the table. "I think Lando and Daniel are gonna love it" one of your colleagues says, "it seems like a very attainable idea, but only if you're willing to execute it Y/N" your boss adds. You smile and nod happily, "I'll do it, if anyone has any ideas let me know" you exclaim before lowering your head to start scribbling down plans for the race weekend coming up. "You've got this mum!" you shake your head but smile at the people that are your family at this point.

A couple of days later you're crouched near the barricades set up for the media pen, hiding the first clue of the scavenger hunt you have planned. You don't notice one of the social media guys filming you, so you nearly have a heart attack when you peer over your shoulder, letting out a gasp while holding a hand over your heart. He laughs and proceeds to bring the camera closer to your face, "stop, it's not funny" you whine, he only grins before lowering the camera. "Gotta give the fans hints before the guys tackle the hunt" he explains as you stand up, "next time warn me" he gives you a thumbs up and turns around, walking back towards McLaren hospitality. You quickly take out your phone to take a picture of the clue so that you remember where you placed it, smiling as you leave the area that will be crowded with people in a couple of hours. "Y/N!" you spin around at the shout to see a comms girl approaching, "what's up?" you ask, "we nearly have everything set for later, would you be okay to follow Daniel with the camera as he searches for the scavenger hunt clues?" you blink a couple of times in surprise, "you're letting me touch the camera?" She laughs, "of course, you're on this team so you get to do some of the fun things as well". You smile "I can do that, hopefully I don't fall on my face though" she squeezes your arm, "don't worry, Dan will catch you before you do" she replies with a cheeky wink, you blush slightly and shove her, she laughs and tugs you along to hospitality.

••••

"Okay guys, it's pretty simple, we give you the riddle and you have to go find the spot where we hid the next clue, two of us will be following along with cameras so don't be idiots and be careful" you bite your lip and fiddle with the camera in your hands, nervous about how your idea will turn out. "Y/N will be with Dan and Y/C/N will be with Lando" you look up at your name being mentioned, locking eyes with the Australian driver for a second before looking down at the camera again, making sure that the settings are correct before lifting it up higher. "So what's with the nickname Y/N?" you look up to see Daniel standing a lot closer than a few seconds ago, "it's everyone's joke about me being the oldest on the comms team" you mumble, "is that so?" he exclaims, but before you can say anything more the two drivers are called to attention for the first riddle. You easily point the camera in Daniel's direction as he listens to another comms team member, a look of concentration on his face, you smile at the expression but don't say anything from behind the lens. He suddenly jumps into action making you do the same, rushing to follow behind him.

When he comes to a stop at the media pen you bend over to catch your breath, the camera still poised on Daniel. "You okay?" you peer up at the driver to see concern on his face. "Nothing like a scavenger hunt of my own invention to make me feel way older than my 30 years old" you reply while standing at your full height again. "Wait I thought an intern had this idea" you smile and point to yourself, "I am said intern Daniel" he lifts his eyebrows in surprise, "I know right, but a career change means starting over and this is where I ended up" you explain with a shrug. "That's kinda badass Y/N" he says with a grin, you wave away his words, "it's not, I just realized that I can't keep settling for something that doesn't make me happy" you reply and he tilts his head curiously. "Doesn't matter, let's just go before Lando figures out where to go" you add to cut off any more questions from the Aussie, he chuckles and the two of you start back towards McLaren hospitality with the first clue in hand.

When you two get back first you film the excited reaction Daniel gives, a grin on his face before he unexpectedly pulls you into a hug while lifting you off your feet, making your nearly drop the camera. You giggle while clutching onto his shoulder with your free hand, "we're a winning combo Y/N" he says and drops you to your feet again, you blush and tuck some hair behind your ear, "I guess we are" you reply not noticing the smirks from your colleagues as you smile up at the Aussie shyly. "Okay guys we got things to do, you can look at each other with gooey eyes later" you blush even more and look away from Daniel, seeing your work friends staring at you with a knowing look. You bite your lip and turn around to leave the awkward situation, hoping to find shelter from the teasing that will follow you from now on. Only looking back at Daniel once, getting a wink from him before you focus back on your intended destination for the practice sessions. One of the girls catches up with you, "he likes you mum" she says making you huff, "he's just being nice" you mumble, "you guys are practically the same age, it would make sense" you purse your lips and look down at your feet, "that doesn't mean anything, I work for McLaren I can't ruin my chances in this industry, after the sacrifice I made just to get here in the first place" she sighs but doesn't say anything as the two of you enter the garage for some pre-practice content for social media. You ignore the way your stomach flutters at the thought of Daniel liking you in a more than work colleague way.