Chapter Text
If Liam Lawson was a different person, one who believed in alternate realities, maybe he'd believe there was a universe where he already knew his soulmate - and didn't have to go through all of this.
Then again, that's another issue, isn't it? There would then have to be a third alternate reality, where Liam believed in soulmates.
Not that he's one of those cryptic conspiracy theorists who think that the whole soulmates thing is a trap by the government to distract them from finding true love, that might be another reality.
Already, he's up to four. And he doesn't even believe in that sort of thing.
If he did, he'd want to be in a universe where finding your soulmates lost items wasn't a thing. It would make life easier - for Liam at least.
He knows the whole soulmate spiel has its upside as well, what with finding the one who is meant to be yours and whatever, he just doesn't think it's meant for him.
His soulmate could lose half of their belongings but Liam still wouldn't go looking for them, thats not the type of person he is. Plus, they could live totally on the other side of the world.
And Liam is not using the apps. His sister's can try to convince him as many times as they want, but he won't do it.
He is not that desperate. If fate is real, he will find his soulmate in his own time.
The one reason why he does consider it though, is times like these - when Liam is caught off guard by new items. At least if he met his soulmate, this would stop.
It's been a shitty day all round, a P12 while his teammate - who is, admittedly, Max Verstappen - finished 4th.
And, really, he didn't even actually finish P12. He only got P12 after Lewis, Charles, and Pierre were disqualified for technical infringements or something.
Suffice to say, there were two very different emotions on opposing sides of the garage.
Then, to come back to the hotel and trip over a pair of new shoes - that aren't his and wouldn't fit him if they were, was really just the cherry on top.
He's staring at them now, rubbing at an aching spot on his calf, and wonders who would wear such ugly shoes.
They're not only a weird shape but they've also got bright yellow and blue stripes along the bottom. Who needs bright yellow and blue shoes? Especially running shoes?
Liam has the strangest urge to throw them out, but he knows there's no point - they'd just come straight back to him.
He doesn't know how it works and has no desire to research it. Add that to the list of other things he hates - how does the soulmate magic work?
As a kid, when he'd gotten his first lost item, Liam went on a YouTube deep dive - looking for anything that might tell him.
He'd been so caught up, so infatuated, with the whole idea for at least 3 years before it started getting annoying.
He was tripping over things left right and centre and whenever he lost something he didn't even bother looking for it, God knows he was never getting back - not unless he met his soulmate anyway.
He thinks he's probably down to one matching pair of socks again. Maybe he should buy new socks or something.
He feels bad for whoever his soulmate is, Liam isn't a very forgetful person - other than his socks, obviously, so they must get pretty bored sometimes.
Especially if they keep tripping over socks all the time. Although, the tripping thing might just be Liam.
It's not his fault that whoever it is on the other side keeps, somehow, losing items big enough that Liam can trip over them.
Seriously, how do you lose a bag of groceries?
That one had probably been equally sorrowful for the both of them. Liam's soulmate because they just lost all their shopping - especially with the price of groceries right now, and Liam because he had to throw it all away.
Not that he didn't trust his soulmate - even though he had no reason to yet so maybe, yeah, he didn't - but he just wasn't sure how the whole travel thing worked.
He didn't want to take the risk. Which was a shame because of the sheer amount of chocolate that threatened to spill out of the bag.
Liam's favourite item, however, is one he got when he was 18 years old. It was lockdown, he was gaming probably, and it had fallen right into his lap.
It wasn't anything expensive, or anything special per se - at least not to Liam, but it was funny. His soulmate had lost a 'eat, sleep, race, repeat' hoodie - which Liam still wears sometimes, to this day.
Liam thought it was hilarious because it meant his soulmate, whoever they are, is into racing too. At least they have that one thing in common.
Maybe his soulmate even knows who he is but is unaware that they're 'meant to be'. Maybe he's a fan.
Liam entertains that thought for a while before coming to the conclusion that he doesn't want that. He wants whoever he ends up with - soulmate or not - to love him for him, not because he's a racing driver.
Although, he'll never really know if thats the reason someone is with him. He wishes he was like Alex [Albon], whose girlfriend has been with him basically from the start.
And they're soulmates too - Alex had told Liam as much when they were teammates during DTM in 2021 - which is a bonus, he supposes.
He knows half the grid, at least, have met their soulmate and also that there are some drivers who don't care about all of that and have been happily together with people who aren't their "soulmates" - in theory.
He'd tried that once, but then the girl had found her actual soulmate and had dumped him on the spot. Sometimes he wonders if they're still together.
Liam sighs, finally getting up from his spot on the couch and grabbing the shoes. He's got a box in his cupboard at home where he keeps everything that he's found because, as mentioned before, he can't throw anything away, so he'll bring the shoes home with him.
Honestly, it's gotten to the point where his soulmate is losing so much stuff that he'll probably need to buy a bigger box soon too. He doesn't think he's ever met someone who loses so much.
That's another thing he's worried about. Liam is very organised, very clean, so he doesn't know how he's going to put up with someone who isn't.
Then again, what's that saying? Opposites attract or something?
The odds of Liam meeting this person, especially if he doesn't download the apps, are so low anyway that he shouldn't be worried.
He hopes whoever ends up with his soulmate can afford to replace everything they lose.
Liam shoves the shoes into his suitcase, grateful to be rid of the neon yellow-blue eye sores, and heads to his bathroom - all he wants to do now is sleep.
In the morning he'll go over everything he could've done better - everything that he did wrong. But, for now, he is going to shove it to the other end of his mind and not think about it again.
At least that's what he tells himself. It doesn't quite work though.
As he's brushing his teeth the memory of hitting the barrier in Australia, rain sliding down his visor, keeps coming back to him.
It kind of feels like a fever dream, like it didn't actually happen to him. His very first race in the Redbull and he crashes it out.
He's doing better now, barely. Only clinging onto 12th because of a double DNF for Ferrari.
He wants to say he needs more time, but they don't have time. Redbull won't give him time.
He needs to be better or he could be at risk for losing his seat next year. The hate comments will get even worse.
Liam, when asked by his family, pretends he doesn't care about them - pretends he doesn't even read them - but he does.
Sometimes, when it gets really bad, he'll spend hours scrolling through instagram and twitter just reading through what people are saying about him.
For a while he got confused whenever anyone would actually call him 'Lawson' and not 'Slowson'. That was probably one of the worst times of his life.
And it's still happening. So it probably is the worst time of his life.
As a Redbull junior, he thought driving for Redbull Racing - with Max as a teammate - would be the peak of his career, the top. You couldn't get much better than that.
It feels naïve now, even though he had no way of knowing.
Driving next to Max is pretty cool still, learning from him and everything. Getting compared to him every weekend, though? Not so much.
And, even though Liam would never say this out loud, the car isn't what it used to be. Or it is, and that's the problem.
McLaren is faster than them. Mercedes is faster than them. Hell, even Ferrari is faster than them.
Sometimes Liam thinks he should've stayed at the Racing Bulls, should've let Yuki take this seat. But then he remembers that Yuki is, was - Yuki is still mad at him, his friend and he wouldn't wish this on his worst enemy.
The media, journalists - people double his age, aren't much better either. He tries to tell himself that he shouldn't listen to it because these people have never even sat in an F1 car before, let alone driven one but it doesn't matter.
It's not like what they're saying is wrong.
Liam sighs, grabbing his toothbrush, and focuses on brushing his teeth. He'll think about everything else tomorrow. Now is not the time.
In some absolute disturbance of all that is good and right in the world, Liam's soulmate had lost an alarm clock - that had then proceeded to wake Liam at 5:30am this morning.
How anyone could lose an alarm clock is, quite frankly, beyond Liam but it seems his soulmate has found a way.
In their defence, it is quite a small, wireless machine so it makes more sense. Liam would be completely dumbfounded if his soulmate had lost one of the big hotel ones.
Not that it matters now anyway, Liam had promptly thrown it into his suitcase and gone back to sleep - til his alarm went off at 8.
His flight leaves at 12:00pm, but he likes to be there earlier - even when flying private. Plus, it's Max's jet, so all the more reason to definitely not be late.
They're friends, to a point, but Liam sometimes gets the feeling that Max misses someone. Whether that's Checo or Daniel, Liam hasn't quite figured out yet.
But he knows what it's like anyway. He misses Yuki, even though they're not really speaking, and he misses Alex sometimes too.
He realises that thats not the same thing - Yuki and Alex are still on the grid - but it hurts nonetheless.
Liam, doing what he does best, ignores the feelings brought up and pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind.
His bag is packed and stood by the door but he hasn't left yet. He's not quite sure what he's waiting for, maybe another lost item or something.
He's not sure how it works, not sure if he still gets the items if he's on the move or if they just disappear into the nether.
He's never got anything in a plane or car before, but he doesn't know if that counts as proof or if it's just a timing thing.
Liam checks his phone and sighs, he should probably get going - or at least make his way down to the lobby.
His suitcase trails behind him awkwardly on the carpeted floor as he makes his way to the elevator and he wonders if he should buy a new one - Lord knows he's got the money now.
"Hey"
Liam looks up from his phone to see Isack Hadjar standing there, waiting for the elevator too.
It's not necessarily weird for him to be here, Redbull often puts all their drivers in the same hotels, but it's a surprise all the same.
"Hey" He replies, going back to his phone.
They're not friends, have barely spoken at all actually. They had a single conversation at the drivers photo, more for Yuki's sake than because they wanted to.
All he knows about Isack is from the Racing Bulls Tik Toks and Reels, which is, suffice to say, not much.
If they were closer, maybe Liam would ask how Yuki is holding up. But they're not, so he doesn't.
He doesn't really plan on spending tons of time with Isack anyway, so getting close with him is currently not his biggest concern.
And he's still slightly offended about that one welcoming video where 'Hadjar' is taped over 'Lawson' on his old racing suit.
Even though he shouldn't be. He got promoted, why does he care about his old race suit that he'll never wear again?
Isack can have it for all he cares.
The elevator dings, alerting both of them to the fact that their ride to the lobby has arrived at their floor.
Liam gestures for Isack to enter first, ever the gentleman. If he hopes that Isack tells Yuki that Liam is still a good guy, then thats between Liam and God.
They don't talk to each other, even stuck in the stifling heat of the hotels metal contraption. In fact, Liam doesn't even look up from his phone.
They're down to floor 3 when it happens, when the elevator makes a weird churning noise and suddenly they've stopped moving.
Liam puts his phone in his pocket, staring at a blinking red emergency light, and pushes the radio button.
"Good morning, how can I help?" A tinny voice crackles through the speakers above them.
Liam glances at Isack, then turns back to the radio, "The elevator has stopped?"
"My apologies sir" The tinny voice replies "We'll have a team take a look, you should be up and running again within the next 15 minutes."
Liam sighs, clicking on the button again to hang up, and takes a seat against the wall of the elevator.
"Merde" Isack groans and, guessing by the tone of his voice, Liam can assume he's not saying something heartwarming.
"Got places to be?" He asks, even though it's none of his business, really.
But, if they're going to be stuck here together for up at 15 minutes, Liam would prefer not to sit in awkward silence - because, apparently, stilted conversation would be better.
"I am late." Isack sighs, sliding down opposite Liam, "I lost my alarm."
The elevator is not big, a 2x2x3 maybe, so, when Isack stretches his legs out, his feet nudge against Liam's. Neither boy moves away from the touch - as if it's the only thing grounding them.
Liam focuses on that, instead of focusing on the massive, glaring truth in front of him. Isack lost his alarm, Liam gained one this morning.
It doesn't mean anything, it could just be a coincidence - almost every single person around the world owns an alarm clock.
Liam pretends he didn't realise the time was set to Chinese time this morning. That's something he can deal with some other time - or never.
"What you late for?" Liam continues, knowing that if he doesn't focus on this conversation he will think about things he doesn't want to right now.
Isack looks over at him, considering, "I am flying with Max today. I wanted to be early."
Well fuck Liam sideways. Of course Isack is flying with them too.
"You're not late" He offers, because if Isack is late then Liam is late too - and Liam is never late.
Isack looks surprised "You are flying with Max too?"
"Why do you sound so surprised? He's my teammate, I should be asking how you got a ticket."
"You are right. I do not know why he wanted me on his flight." Isack shrugs, his jacket making a weird scratching noise against the elevator wall "I am not his teammate."
Liam frowns, why does Max want Isack on this flight? Why does Max want him on this flight?
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that" He winces, knowing how he must sound.
If Yuki and Isack are as close as their TikTok's and Reels present them to be, then Isack is going to tell Yuki about this and Liam is going to seem even worse.
"You are okay" Isack nudges their feet together again, in a friendly way, "I do not want to be his teammate anyway."
Liam shakes his head, watching Isack, "Everyone wants to be teammate with Max."
"Non" Isack replies "I want to be teammates with Lewis"
Ah. Of course. Liam had heard about this, had seen all the videos - especially the one of Isack and Anthony Hamilton.
"So you moving to Ferrari then?" Liam grins, teasing.
Isack lights up at this "Bien sûr. Charles to Racing Bulls and I to Ferrari."
"I think, if Charles goes to the Racing Bulls, Max might ask to move there too."
"You believe in the soulmates thing?" Isack asks.
Maybe it's a French thing, to be so straight forward. It's not the normal thing to do anyway, to just ask someone - who you barely know - if they believe in soulmates.
Max and Charles are the only two on the grid who are soulmates, at least the only two that Liam knows of. He hasn't asked Max about it yet, but he pretends he doesn't notice when Charles sneaks into Max's drivers room after a race.
"I don't know" Liam sighs "Sometimes."
He has no desire to tell Isack about his recent discovery, about their... coincidence. There's no point anyways, nothing is confirmed.
One alarm clock doesn't mean anything. There's billions of people in China, and probably twice as many who have alarm clocks within the same timezone.
Losing an alarm clock on the same day Liam finds one, does not set anything in stone. He can't be thinking rashly - it's stupid.
"I believe" Isack looks down at their feet, still pushed together, "I do not want to be with someone who is not my soulmate."
Liam is surprised by this, then again, he's surprised by everything Isack has said - he doesn't know him, after all.
"Finding lots of lost items then?"
Isack's face changes, so quickly Liam almost misses it, then goes back to smiling "Non. She is responsible"
She. She. She.
The word echoes around Liams head like a bell - a reminder. Even if the alarm clock was not a coincidence, Isack is straight.
He doesn't quite know how that works. Does the soulmate picker know who's gay and who's not? Does it matter?
Has a straight man ever been paired with another man?
Would Isack still believe in soulmates if that was the case?
"So you've got nothing? How do you know you even have a soulmate?" Liam asks. They're diving head first in, it's a lot for a first - second - conversation.
Isack raises an eyebrow "I think she is responsible. Not getting any items does not mean I do not have a soulmate."
"Oh"
Every word that comes out of Isack's mouth is making Liam feel sick - making him feel like a fool.
Not that he really believes a stupid alarm clock is effective proof, but there's something that doesn't sit quite right with him.
"And you?" Isack asks, fiddling with a bracelet on his wrist.
Liam thinks about it, about the box stashed in his cupboard at home, "They lose a lot. I've probably cost them a shit ton of money in replacing stuff."
"Lucky you"
Liam opens his mouth, maybe to ask about why Isack still believes he's got a soulmate if he hasn't found anything yet. No one is that responsible, right?
"The elevator will be underway shortly. Sorry for any inconvenience" The tinny voice is back.
By the time the elevator has started moving again, Liam and Isack are back to pretending like they've never met.
The ride to the airstrip is mercifully short, considering Max has sent a car to pick them up together.
Everything about this whole flight experience feels very strange, but Liam isn't sure if him and Max are close enough to ask questions about it just yet.
Isack sits pressed up against the window for the whole ride, almost like he's trying to get as far away from Liam as possible - which doesn't make sense.
Outside of Liam's crippling internal thoughts, nothing actually happened on that elevator. At least nothing that could warrant Isacks behaviour.
Maybe it was Liam's slight aversion to soulmates, or the fact that his soulmate loses half of their belongings every other week.
Not that either of those things are his fault, really.
So what is Isack so angry about? And, more importantly, why does Liam even care?
They've only really known each other, beyond seeing each other across the paddock, for under an hour.
If Isack really is angry, and Liam isn't just overthinking this, then Liam shouldn't actually be bothered. So what if they never speak again?
Liam just hopes that Isack doesn't tell Yuki about this - about whatever he's done to piss Isack off.
Which gets him thinking, if Isack is on this flight, does that mean Yuki will be too? Is this supposed to be some type of Redbull bonding flight?
Liam, as much as he wants to be friends with Yuki again, wouldn't even know what to say if he actually saw him.
The car pulls into a garage on the edge of the strip and the driver climbs out of the car to collect their suitcases.
Liam opens his door and is hit by the humid Chinese weather, at least they'll be out of it soon.
"Liam, Isack. You've made it!"
Liam turns just as Max comes walking over to their car, surprisingly not in Redbull merchandise. Liam doesn't know if he's ever seen him out of it.
"Hey, Max" He smiles, still feeling kind of awestruck by the guy - he is a 4 time world champion after all.
Max claps him on the shoulder "Did you have a good drive over?"
"Yeah, great, thank you" Liam wonders if now is a good time to ask about Isack but then decides against it.
It's Max's private jet, he's allowed to invite anyone he wants.
"Isack, I'm glad you made it too" Max smiles as Isack comes round the front of the car "We're just over here."
Max leads them towards what Liam can only describe as the coolest aircraft he's ever seen.
It's a Dassault Falcon 8x, all black with 2 red stripe things at the front-end and a red lions face on the back wing - Liam would kill for something like this.
"Do you like it?" Max grins, probably noticing Liam's face of absolute awe.
Liam shakes his head in disbelief "It's insane"
Max keeps walking, turning back to his plane, "Let's just hope it doesn't crash"
Liam can't tell if he's joking.
Behind them, Isack is looking around the whole airstrip - his face one of pure disbelief, as if he can't believe he's actually here. Liam understands the feeling.
He looks over at Liam after a while, probably feeling Liam's watchful gaze, and Liam quickly looks away - embarrassed to have been caught.
"I also hope it does not crash" Isack whispers, nudging their shoulders together.
And now Liam is confused, what happened between the car and now that has got Liam back in his good books?
Not that Liam is complaining, it's just that he almost feels whiplash from how quickly Isack has gone from one emotion to the next.
"I'm sure we'll be safe" He whispers back, climbing up the stairs into the jet.
Now, if Liam thought the outside of the jet was cool, the inside is a whole other level.
He's been on private planes before, mostly ones that belong to the team though, but they have absolutely nothing on this.
Liam read somewhere that Max paid $56 million for this and, honestly, he can see why.
"Putain de merde" Isack mutters under his breath, whatever that means.
Max smiles at Isack, almost like he can understand him. Liam thinks he probably can - he speaks about 4 different languages, doesn't he?
As if he isn't impressive enough.
"And this is all yours?" Liam asks, not daring to touch anything yet.
Max leads them through the plane to the seats, smiling at each of the flight attendants, "I paid for it, if thats what you mean."
"Cool" Liam replies, trying to sound indifferent - he is freaking out.
The plane is empty albeit them and the workers, which Liam is surprised about. No Yuki and no Charles.
Although, Charles is probably flying back to Monaco, or Italy, so it's not that surprising. Liam doubts Charles spends much time in Milton Keynes.
And Yuki... Who knows where Yuki is.
"Just take a seat wherever, we should be set to take off in a few minutes" Max gestures to the seats.
Liam, obviously, choses a window seat - no matter how many times he flies he will always love watching the take off, and Isack sits down opposite him.
Max wanders off somewhere to the front, probably to talk to the pilot or something, and Liam settles into his seat.
He cannot believe this is his real life. He'd signed the contract last year, but never in a million years did he think it would get him here.
In fact, when he'd first joined Formula 1 after the Singapore Grand Prix, he would never have guessed that this is where it would lead him.
He glances at Isack and wonders if he's thinking the same thing. This must be even wilder for him.
He's in his very first year of Formula 1, racing for the Racing Bulls, 2 races into the year, and he's already flying in Max Verstappens private jet.
What has he done to be noticed by Max Verstappen is probably the real question here.
Liam knows that's what he's thinking, at least.
"You would be with someone who is not your soulmate?" Isack asks suddenly, snapping Liam out of his thoughts.
Liam frowns "I have, but I don't know if I could do it again. Why?"
"You said on the elevator you only sometimes believe. I was curious" Isack shrugs.
It's a valid enough question, even if it's kind of out of the blue, but Liam doesn't understand why Isack cares.
"I just feel like it sort of seems unfair, doesn't it?" Liam looks back out the window "The universe chooses one person for you and if you never find them you'll probably be alone forever."
Isack doesn't say anything for a while, probably considering Liam's answer, then "But if you do find them, it is better, non? That is your other half."
"I suppose" Liam runs a hand through his hair "It's just a question of whether or not it's worth waiting. Just because that's your soulmate doesn't mean you'll necessarily fit well together, or even like each other."
"But you will like each other, you are soulmates. It is the way it should be."
Liam doesn't know why he's even having this conversation with Isack if Isack is so sure of his beliefs that he won't listen to anything else anyway.
Hasn't Isack not received anything yet? He has strong beliefs for someone who might not even have a soulmate.
Liam does believe in soulmates, but that doesn't automatically mean he believes that finding your soulmate will solve all your romantic problems.
Some people get lucky, like Max and Charles, and find each other early and actually fit well together. Then there are others who don't care about the whole soulmates thing and just get together anyway.
Liam thinks that finding the love of your life doesn't always mean finding your soulmate. But if the love of your life happens to also be your soulmate, then that's just an added bonus.
"I don't know, man. I think as long as you're happy with who you're with, why should it matter?" He shrugs.
Isack seems almost offended by this "It matters because the universe is saying you should be together, you are meant for each other!"
"Being meant for someone doesn't always equal being happy with someone"
"Why are you against this?"
"I'm not against it, Isack. I'm just being realistic. You haven't even received anything yet!"
Isack turns away in his seat, staring out the window. Great. Liam's made him angry again.
But, to be honest, he can't find it in himself to care. He's allowed to have his own opinions, just like Isack is allowed to have his.
If Isack doesn't want to listen to Liam, then Liam doesn't have to listen to Isack either. Maybe the last dig was a bit too far, Isack told him that in confidence.
The problem is, Liam still has a gnawing feeling of foreboding. He keeps thinking about the stupid alarm clock.
No matter how many times he tells himself that it's just a coincidence, something doesn't feel right.
There's such a minuscule chance of actually finding your soulmate, 1 in 8,000,000,000, that the odds of Liam and Isack being soulmates is basically impossible.
And, as Liam is constantly reminded of, Isack is straight.
Not to forget the fact that Isack's soulmate hasn't lost anything ever - in all of Isacks 21 years of being alive.
Liam's like 95% sure he's definitely lost something. He's got empty shelves at home that haven't always been empty... at least, he thinks he does.
Not that any of those facts seem to deter that part of Liam that is wholly convinced Isack is him - his soulmate.
Would Isack even want that? Would Liam?
In a moment of pure frustration, Liam pulls out his phone and searches 'isackhadjar' into his instagram search bar.
He doesn't even know what he's looking for until he's found it.
It's a co-post from Isack and the Racing Bulls instagram on the 20th of January, before the season had even started.
And there, upon seeing the very first picture, Liam's heart drops.
He locks his phone and drops it face down on the table in front of him. Isack looks up and frowns but Liam can't look at him.
It would've been hard to forget any shoes that his soulmate had lost, but bright yellow and blue ones? Unforgettable.
So seeing the very same shoes on Isacks feet, in his own post, makes one thing very clear.
Isack Hadjar is his soulmate.