Archive of Our Own

Max was a cat.

At least, sometimes he was.

Ever since he had been little, he had known he had possessed magic. His mum’s side of the family all had magic in their blood and it had run down to Max too. He wasn’t incredibly gifted, he could do some minor spells but often didn’t see the need to do so, but the one gift he had taken to easily was to take a cat form.

He was only small as a cat, with soft black fur, a white spot on his chest and large green eyes that took up most of his head. He was cute in cat form, which was partially advantageous and partially annoying.

When Max had gotten into F1, he had tried to say goodbye to his cat form. He felt like it wasn’t professional, wasn’t fitting for a professional athlete to change into a cat form whenever he felt bad. For a while, that had worked well, Max being somewhat able to stay in human form even if he felt annoyed or on edge. Up until a few years ago, when the pressure became so high Max needed his cat form again.

It was only a coincidence that that moment came when Daniel left Red Bull.

The seasons after, with Pierre and then Alex at his side, were challenging and unfamiliar, and Max took to his cat form more and more often. Christian knew, but didn’t mind, as long as Max was there in human form when it mattered and first Pierre, and then Alex was tasked with keeping an eye on the little black cat. This all meant that most days, Max kept to his human form, but whenever he had the time, especially when he was back home in Monaco, he often roamed the streets as a cat.

He was also out now, using the dusk to blend in with his surroundings as he ran out onto his balcony, stretching his back before hopping onto the balustrade and looking down. Max swiftly moved up onto the ledge attached to the balcony, small paws easily fitting on the smooth stone while his cat-like balance kept him from falling off. He let out a soft, happy sound and continued his journey, enjoying the freedom that being a cat brought with it until something made him still. He sniffed the air, flicking his ears as he realised he had unconsciously climbed onto Daniel’s balcony, the Aussie’s apartment about 2 stories higher than his own on the opposite side of the street.

Daniel had never seen him in cat form, didn’t know Max had a cat form, and Max was somewhat curious to see how Dan would react to him.

Max slowly made his way closer to the glass doors leading to the living room, peeking inside to find Daniel sitting on the sofa watching tv. It was an oddly domestic sight, Daniel absentmindedly fiddling with his phone in his hands while watching a movie - Max didn’t recognize which one it was - on the large tv.

What would Daniel do if he saw the cat on his balcony? Max wondered. He was still a little on edge, uncomfortable after a race weekend that hadn’t exactly gone well, and Daniel’s apartment smelled safe and familiar.

He couldn’t resist trying to get inside.

Max meowed softly before he could stop himself, pawing at the glass, and cowered into himself ever so slightly when Daniel noticed him. The Aussie grinned widely, getting up from the sofa and padding over to open the door. Max hesitated, meowing again, but then moved over to bump his head against the Aussie’s outstretched hand.

“Hey there little fella, are you lost?” Daniel cooed softly, scratching the sensitive spot just behind Max’s ear. Max meowed softly and then started to purr, contentedly closing his eyes as he let his friend pat his soft black fur.

“You’re so cute.” Daniel murmured with a tender smile, running his palm over the whole length of Max’s back while Max eagerly pushed into the touch. He felt safe with Daniel so close to him, knowing Daniel would never, ever hurt him.

The thought of his father yelling at him because he hadn’t gotten a podium was pushed back to the back of his mind now.

It wasn’t often he got touched in human form, let alone comforted, and he was happier than ever to have his cat form.

Max meowed softly, licking Daniel’s hand before jumping up against his chest to bump his head against Daniel’s chin. Daniel laughed, large hands cupping gently around him and before Max could react, Daniel had gotten up with Max in his arms.

Max hissed softly, starting to wiggle, but then Daniel started to scratch his ear again, making soft, shushing noises and Max practically melted into his touch.

“You can only stay inside for a little bit, okay? Just to finish the movie with me.” Daniel told him sternly, smiling at the meow Max let out in return. “I bet there is an owner waiting for you somewhere, they must miss a little cutie like you.” Daniel added, sitting down on the sofa and letting Max down onto his lap. Max hesitated, not being used to being treated like a lap cat, but when Daniel’s fingers ran over his spine again he started to purr once more, paws kneading Dan’s thigh.

“Lay down, buddy.” Daniel smiled softly, and Max did just that, curling into a little ball with his nose tucked under his tail as Daniel fingers continued to run over his fur. He closed his eyes, trusting Daniel to keep him safe. He twitched a little when Daniel seemed distracted by the movie. His hand still laid on Max's back, fingers curled into the soft black fur, but he had stopped patting Max. Max let out a soft chirp, lifting his head as he gently tapped his paw at Daniel's other hand.

"Oh, we are needy, aren't we, little stray?" Daniel cooed fondly, leaning in to kiss the top of Max's head and Max would have blushed if he could. He instead only purred as hard as he could, nuzzling his face in under Daniel's chin as Dan smiled.

"You just need some love, don't you buddy?" Daniel murmured softly, scooping Max up and letting him cuddle up against his chest. Max was purring so loud he was almost vibrating, rubbing his cheek against Daniel's chest and chin while Daniel continued to stroke him.

Max wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, Daniel rocking the little cat slightly while still cuddling him, and Max had never felt more safe.

Eventually, Daniel sighed and got up, carrying Max back to the balcony. Max meowed in protest, ears folding back when Daniel set him onto the ground.

"I know buddy, but it's time for you to go home, okay?" Daniel sighed. Max hissed, ducking away when Daniel reached out again. Max felt flustered, on edge now that his comfort was taken away from him, and even though Daniel wanted to pat him again he just hissed and ran off.

He didn't stop running until he was on his own balcony, until he was changed back into his human form. He was crying, although he didn't even know why, and burst into his bedroom to fall onto the bed.

He felt so terribly alone now, without Daniel snuggling him, his chest aching with a feeling Max couldn't quite place.

He knew he needed to allow himself more comfort, more human contact, but he couldn't.

Not unless he was in cat form.

That night, Max chose to sleep in cat form too, curled up into a little ball and tucked between his pillows. It almost felt like Daniel was holding him close again, but it wasn't quite the same.

Max missed Daniel's touch, missed the Aussie's warm arms keeping him safe and maybe, just maybe, he wanted that in human form too.

When Max woke up, it was because someone was gently muttering his name, soft fingers gently touching the back of his neck. Max let out a surprised chirp and lifted his head, instantly relaxing when he saw Lando had laid down belly first on the bed next to him.

The young Brit was one of the only ones to know about Max's cat forms, and one of the only ones with a key to Max's apartment. Max was used to waking up to Lando, even in cat form, and it explained why he hadn't woken up scared.

Max sleepily stood up, stretching contentedly and swishing his tail before stepping over to gently bonk his head against Lando's temple, purring softly as Lanso scratched his neck.

"You're so cuddly." Lando teased, gently pushing Max over onto his side. Max flicked his tail but then happily curled his front paws against his chest and rolled fully onto his back with a happy meow. Lando's finger stroked over his forehead down to his nose, which was nice and soothing and Max could feel himself start to drift off again.

But then Lando made the mistake of touching his belly.

Max hissed, paws curling around Lando's wrist as he dug his nails in hard, also biting at Lando's thumb until Lando cursed loudly and pushed him away.

"Jesus, Max!" Lando huffed, staring at him with wide eyes. Max laid watching him for a moment, pressed close to the mattress with his ears angled back but then hesitantly changed back into his human form.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Max said hoarsely, reaching for Lando's hand and swallowing thickly when he saw he was bleeding.

"Do I have to get a rabies shot now?" Lando asked, and it was only when he smiled that Max realised he was joking to lighten up the situation.

"I'll get you a bandaid," Max said, still blushing lightly. "I'm really sorry." He added. Lando shrugged.

"It's okay. I should have known better than to pet your belly." he said with a small smile. Max smiled a bit weakly and brought him over to the kitchen, getting out his first aid kit while Lando hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter. Lando let Max gently clean the cuts on his hand with some rubbing alcohol, only winching softly a few times at the sting, which only made Max feel more guilty

“I went to see Daniel last night.” Max said to distract him. Lando hummed, biting his bottom lip as Max pressed the alcohol-soaked cotton ball against his wrist too.

“You played video games or something?” he asked in a strained voice. Max shrugged, shushing Lando gently as the younger man let out a soft squeak.

“I was in cat form.” Max admitted, and the next sharp intake of breath from Lando was not due to pain.

“What? Really?” Lando seemed surprised, blinking dumbly. There was only a handful of people in the paddock who knew about Max’s cat form. Just Christian, Alex, Pierre and Lando. Max also thought Sebastian had his suspicions, but the German had never asked him about it. Daniel had never known about the cat form as Max only really learned to take it again after Daniel had moved on to Renault.

And now Daniel could never know, not when Max needed him not to know.

“I just… I needed-” he couldn’t quite seem to say it, but Lando’s face softened, seeming to understand. The younger man shuffled forward, reaching out as if he wanted to hug him, but then moved back again.

“It’s okay.” Lando said. “I get it.” he shrugged easily and held his hand out again, letting Max finish cleaning the cuts. Max helped him off the counter once they were finished, nudging his chin in direction of the tv.

“Do you want to play some FIFA?” Max asked. Lando nodded.

“Sure. You want to play too or do you want to be in cat form a little bit longer?” he asked.

Damn Lando for knowing him so well.

Max offered Lando a bit of an awkward smile and changed back into cat form, stretching his paws before softly meowing at Lando. He let Lando pick him up, knowing the younger man was always careful with him. Lando gently scratched the top of Max’s head, letting him contentedly snuggle into his shoulder.

“Here we go.” Lando smiled, setting Max on the sofa while he grabbed the game controller. He placed one of the pillows next to him, knowing Max liked to be close without touching, but Max meowed softly and crawled onto Lando’s lap instead, bumping his head against Lando’s stomach before laying down. Lando gently cupped a hand over his back and while it wasn’t the same as it had been when Daniel had held him, it was still comforting.

Max watched as Lando played a few rounds of FIFA, occasionally meowing and patting at the game controller, trying to help the other man as best he could. Lando seemed amused by it and gently scratched Max’s ears each time the cat interfered, which in turn made Max purr.

It was nice, familiar, but still, Max felt slightly empty.

He needed Daniel.

~~~~~~

It was 2 nights later that Max made his way to Dan’s apartment in cat form again. He sat on the balcony for a while, watching to see if Daniel was home, and shuffled closer to the windows when he saw Daniel coming out of the kitchen with a plate of food. The Aussie didn’t notice him at first, setting his plate on the coffee table, but looked up when Max meowed and pawed at the glass.

Daniel’s wide grin when he spotted Max made Max feel safe already.

“Back again, buddy?” Daniel asked, crouching down as Max took a few careful steps into the apartment. Max meowed softly, nudging his head under Daniel’s hand to ask for attention. Daniel gently stroked his head first, before letting his hand run down the length of the cat’s back.

“Come here.” Daniel hummed, lifting Max into his arms, and Max could only purr ridiculously loudly as the man held him tight. Daniel sat down with him on the sofa, chuckling as Max didn’t take enough in being on his lap and instead climbed up onto Daniel’s chest.

“Ssh, it’s okay, I’m not sending you away.” Daniel muttered, gently squeezing the back of Max’s neck. Max let out a soft noise, resting his chin on Daniel’s chest as he closed his eyes. Daniel leaned forward to grab his food and ate with one hand, keeping Max up with the other. Max didn’t even try to steal Dan’s food, even though it smelled good, and instead just let himself drift off.

Daniel was warm and smelled nice, and the way he was so incredibly gentle with Max in cat form made Max feel even more comfortable around him.

“Hold on bud, I need to text someone.” Daniel chuckled, setting his now empty bowl on the table and moving Max down to his lap so he had both hands free to grab his phone. Max meowed impatiently, crawling up a little higher onto Daniel’s stomach and rolling onto his back in hopes of tempting Daniel into patting him again. Daniel chuckled, letting Max rub his head against his arm while he tapped away at the little phone screen.

“I need to text Max, buddy. He had a shit race and he could use an annoying meme” Daniel mumbled. Max stilled a little at the mention of his name, curiously lifting his head and watching Daniel type out a soft, sweet message.

And then ruining the moment by also sending the worst joke Max had ever seen.

But that was Daniel, that was the way they interacted, and Max was so grateful for it.

The moment he came home, Daniel having gently nudged him out onto the balcony again when he was getting ready to go to bed, he instantly changed into human form and checked the texts. Max had been a bit bummed out, but the memory of Daniel gently kissing the top of his head had lingered, and added to his giddy smile as he read through the texts he had already seen before

hey Maxy, tough luck out there yesterday. But hold your head up high man, you raced well. At least you have a car and not lawnmower like Charles ;)

He was honestly just touched by how much Daniel seemed to care for him, and he just hoped it was genuine.

Thanks mate, you weren’t half bad either. You in Monaco this week? Maybe we can have dinner together one night. My treat. he texted back. He already knew Daniel was in Monaco, but the Aussie didn’t have to know that.

Daniel answered him within 5 minutes, agreeing to a day and Max was still smiling when he went to bed.

Maybe things were getting better. Maybe he wouldn’t even need his cat form anymore when he wanted attention.

Maybe Daniel was the answer.

~~~~

A week later, Max was back on track again, racing in Italy this time. The race weekend was long and warm and honestly, Max wanted nothing more than to find Daniel, to ask for some attention.

But he couldn’t. It would be suspicious if Daniel was to find his new cat friend in another country too.

So in the evening between free practise and qualifying, Max shifted into his cat form and headed out, climbing from hotel balcony to hotel balcony until he ended up on the balcony of Pierre’s room. Normally, Max would have sought out Lando, but the Brit had seemed focused for tomorrow and Max hadn’t wanted to disturb him.

Besides, Pierre often didn’t mind if he stayed the night, and Max could use that now.

Max meowed and tapped at the glass of the balcony doors to let Pierre know he was there. The Frenchman opened the door for him after a long moment, kneeling down and scratching Max’s ear.

“Hey Max. I would love to cuddle you but-” he looked over his shoulder. “Charles is here right now.” he added, rubbing his fingers over Max’s cheek. Max meowed grumpily, flicking his ears and giving Pierre his best ‘send him away’ look. Pierre chuckled and shook his head.

“No, I can’t send him away, sorry.” he chuckled. Max knew Charles had had a tough race, struggling with a car that just wouldn’t work and he understood it was frustrating. He had just hoped Charles could have been whining to someone else than his designated snuggle buddy.

“Pierre? What is going on?” a voice called from inside the room, Charles popping his head out of the door as well. The Monégasque gasped when he spotted Max, and before the cat could react, Charles had lifted him up, cradling him close to his chest and cooing softly while planting kisses on Max’s head. Max wanted to hiss and claw at him, but Charles was patting him softly, still cooing at him, and Max did enjoy the attention.

“Aren’t you beautiful? And so soft!” Charles smiled, promptly carrying Max inside and placing him on the bed. Pierre followed after them, reaching out to tickle Max’s chin while the cat curiously roamed over the bed.

“Charles, maybe we should-” Pierre started, but the Monégasque huffed, shooting the other man a glare.

“No, minou stays.” Charles said with a glare at Pierre. Pierre swallowed thickly, stifling a laugh.

“Baby, maybe he has ticks or lice-” he started. Max let out an indignant huff, baring his teeth at Pierre and Pierre held up his hands when also Charles glared at him.

“Fine, minou stays.” he chuckled, sitting down on the bed. Max instantly padded over to him, meowing softly and rubbing up against Pierre’s arm. Pierre moved his arm out of the way to let Max step onto his lap, teasingly flicking the cat’s ear, knowing Max would never hurt him even if he was annoying. Charles crawled over too, snuggling into Pierre’s side as he reached out to pat Max’s back again.

“He is so sweet, do you think we can take him home with us?” Charles cooed fondly. “Have minou at my apartment?” he added hopefully. Pierre sighed, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Charles’s lips and Max was a little tempted to throw up a hairball.

“Mon coeur, I think minou probably has a home already. He looks too well-fed and healthy to be a stray.” Pierre offered softly, eyes flickering down to where Max had wiggled his way in between their sides, the cat having rolled onto his back and stretching out contentedly. His paws kneaded the air and he didn’t even mind too much when Charles’s fingers carefully stroked his belly. The Monégasque was surprisingly gentle with him, which was odd, but Max didn’t mind.

“But I want to keep him!” Charles whined. Pierre sighed, kissing Charles again and okay, maybe they were kinda cute together.

“No baby, we can’t. But he can stay here tonight if he wants to.” Pierre told him gently. Max meowed softly in confirmation, rolling a bit closer to Pierre before letting out a surprised purr when he was yanked back to Charles' side, the Monégasque pulling him onto his chest. Max wanted to protest but then Charles held him tightly, pushing his face into Max’s face and exhaled so shakily Max couldn’t get himself to pull away. He let out a soft noise and licked Charles’s nose, before letting out a soft purr and dropping back down against his chest

“Pear…” Charles muttered, and the Frenchman instantly cuddled close too, one hand lightly resting on Max’s back as he nuzzled his face in the crook of Charles’s neck. Max gently licked Pierre’s wrist too, before closing his eyes, resting his head on his paws.

“Thank you.” Pierre whispered early in the morning, letting Max out onto the balcony again while Charles was still asleep, having rolled over onto his belly to cuddle his pillow instead of Max. Max purred softly, letting Pierre give him a few last scratches as if to say no worries. Before he jumped onto the balcony ledge, however, he briefly turned to give Pierre a worried look, but the Frenchman just smiled.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

~~~~~~

“Hey Maxy.” Daniel grinned, letting Max, human Max, into his apartment. For a moment, Max thought the man was going to hug him, but instead Daniel just gently squeezed his shoulder, leading him along onto the balcony. There were two ice cold beers already on the table and Max hummed contentedly as he fell down in one of the lounge chairs, not hesitating to grab one of the beers and taking a sip.

“Thirsty?” Dan snorted. Max shrugged, pushing his sunglasses onto his face

“Something like that.” he murmured. Daniel’s chair was already close to his, but he still reached out to nudge Max’s calf with his foot.

“Anything you want to talk about?” he asked, but Max shook his head.

“No thank you.” he grumbled. Daniel shrugged easily, taking a sip of his own drink, before taking his phone out of his pocket.

“Did I show you the cat that keeps showing up here? He’s really cute.” Daniel said lightly. Max tensed, turning to Dan with a rather panicked look, but Daniel didn’t seem to realise. He just turned his phone towards Max, showing him a picture of Max in cat form, the little cat fast asleep on Daniel’s lap with his nose tucked under his tail.

“He’s… adorable.” Max said awkwardly. Daniel smiled brightly.

“I know right? He is one of the sweetest cats I’ve ever met. He just passes by sometimes when I’m home, perhaps he’ll show up tonight too.” Daniel hummed, looking around as if he had expected the cat to show up somewhere. Max tried to give him a genuine smile but probably still looked a little pained. Luckily Daniel just seemed to brush it off.

“I have been thinking I should probably name him. He looks like a Captain Fluffy.” Daniel hummed.

“No way!” Max blurted out, startling Daniel. “I-I mean… a more simple name might be better.” he added quickly. Daniel hummed, thoughtfully tugging at the wrapper of his bottle of beer.

“Maybe I should just call him Max.” he decided. Max winched.

“I-... You don’t have to name a random stray after me.” he huffed. “He doesn’t even sound like me.” he added. Daniel raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know. I have the feeling you’re secretly very snuggly.” he answered, making Max roll his eyes.

“Oh shut up.” he grumbled. They settled into silence for a moment, before Daniel spoke again.

“What about Sir Maximilian McCloud?”

“Shut up Daniel.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, you okay?” Lando asked worriedly as Max stumbled into his apartment. The Dutchman swallowed thickly, but then shook his head. He had just had a bad fight with his dad, and while he was unharmed, he was still trembling. He wanted to change into cat form, to let Lando hold and snuggle him, but then he spotted Michael in Lando’s kitchen and stilled.

“It’s okay, you can trust him.” Lando said, getting up and taking two steps in Max’s direction. Max shook his head, unsure what to do. Michael looked up, brows furrowing in worry when he saw how upset Max looked.

“Hey, Jon had to run some errands so I’m training Lando today. Do you want to join in?” Michael asked, seeming intent on pretending everything was normal. Max shook his head, stumbling back and shooting Lando a panicked look.

“N-no, I got to…” he trailed off, still standing rooted to the spot. Lando headed closer, gently touching Max’s hand and only linking their hands together when he was sure Max didn’t flinch away.

“Come on.” he said softly, leading Max to the balcony. “Michael? Can you go to my bedroom to grab the weights there?” he called over his shoulder.

Max was pretty sure there were no weights in Lando’s bedroom, but Michael nodded and still headed there.

“Sorry Max.” Lando sighed “If you come back in a few hours-” he tried, but Max shook his head.

“It’s okay.” He whispered. He turned into cat form, but shied away when Lando reached out to touch him. He jumped onto the balcony ledge, shaking out his fur and flicking his ears uncomfortably.

“I can send him away-” Lando tried but Max just meowed softly, letting Lando scratch his ear for a short moment before he headed across the balcony to the other side, momentarily stilling as he suddenly saw Michael looking at him through the bedroom window.

With a graceful jump, Max jumped to a lower balcony, and then quickly ran away.

~~~~~~~~~~

When Max visited Daniel the next time, in cat form, Daniel didn’t quite seem happy to see him. He still opened the door the moment he spotted the little black cat, but instead of making jokes and grinning at him, he picked Max up and held him impossibly tightly.

Something was wrong, Daniel smelled sad, and it made Max panic.

He meowed softly, rubbing his head against Daniel cheek and purring softly when he felt Daniel’s lips briefly quirk up into a smile. Daniel carried him inside, to the sofa, and Max tensed when he realised Michael was with the other Aussie.

The man was looking at Max with a quizzical look on his face, but did not speak, instead just smiling as Daniel sat down next to him.

“See? I did not lie about the cat.” Daniel told Michael, sitting down on the sofa with Max on his lap. The cat purred softly, throwing Michael a skeptical look, but allowed the man to gently stroke his head.

“I can see that.” Michael said. Max could hear he was tense too, as if something was really wrong, and his fears were confirmed when Daniel’s shoulders slumped, his initial excitement over Max suddenly gone. His eyes were so sad and Max let out a worried squeak, crawling up against Daniel’s chest as best as he could and letting Daniel hold him even if he squeezed him a little too tightly.

“Dan…” Michael tried softly, gently prying one of Dan’s hands off Max’s back. “Don’t suffocate him mate.” he added, and Daniel’s grip instantly loosened and he sighed, dropping his head back on the sofa and staring up at the ceiling.

“I just fucking hate all of this.” he muttered and Michael hummed.

“I know mate, I’m sorry.” he whispered, reaching out to pat Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel turned to the other Aussie and gave him a sad smile.

“Maybe I should have stayed at Red Bull.” Daniel murmured, fingers gently scratching the sensitive spot behind Max’s ear. Michael sighed, scooting a bit closer as they both focused on Max now. The cat purred softly, contentedly rolling onto his side in the crook of Daniel’s arms, kneading the air in hopes of making Dan smile. Daniel’s lips quirked up ever so slightly, and he leaned in to kiss the top of Max’s head. “Red Bull was just easier.” he added, when Michael stayed silent.

“Red Bull was also toxic.” Michael answered now, and Max didn’t disagree.”I know yet another new team is a lot to get used to, but things will get easier.” the trainer added. Daniel nodded, although he didn’t seem convinced, and leaned in slightly closer to Michael.

“At least I got a cute cat now.” Daniel murmured, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Michael hummed thoughtfully.

“Yeah, very cute.”

After a few hours, Daniel fell asleep on the sofa, slumped into Michael’s side a little with Max still firmly cuddled in his arms. Michael, who had been staring at the tv without really looking at the movie that was playing, eventually stood up, gently stroking the top of Max’s head.

“Maybe it’s time for you to go. Dan needs to go to bed.” Michael told the cat softly. Max let out a reluctant meow, nosing closer to Daniel, but he knew Michael was right. He carefully got up, gently bumping his head against Daniel’s cheek for a last time before hopping off the sofa and following Michael onto the balcony.

"So... care to tell me who you are?" Michael asked Max when they were alone outside. The cat hissed half-heartedly at him, tempted to run away, but Michael was looking at him with a steady gaze and Max knew he could trust him.

When he changed back into human form, Michael only seemed surprised for a split second, before humming and nodding his head.

"Should've known." He muttered to himself. Max scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked. Michael smiled.

"Nothing." He simply answered. "You're a cute cat, by the way." He added, leaning against the doorway with an amused smile playing on his lips. Max huffed and rolled his eyes, before turning hesitant.

"You won't tell him, right?" He asked softly. Michael shook his head.

"Nah mate. You two need each other, and if this is the only way, then I won't get in the way of that." The Aussie said gently. Max swallowed thickly.

"Thanks." He said a bit awkwardly. Michael winked.

"No worries." He said, before smiling. "Oh and Max?" He had a bright smile on his face, one that never meant any good. Max narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah?" He asked slowly. Michael's grin only widened.

"Perhaps you should change your catchphrase to ‘Unleash the housecat’.” Michael looked far too amused and Max flipped him off.

“Fuck you.”

“No thanks.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Occasionally, Max would roam around the Paddock in cat form too. His colouring was common enough for it not to be suspicious, and he only ever did it once or twice a season just to be sure. It was just nice to roam around, spy on some of the drivers, and occasionally get some pats and cuddles from drivers, journalists or fans. He normally did so in one of the European races, mostly he knew most of those tracks better, making it easier for him to hide if needed.

This season, Max chose Silverstone for it, getting into his cat form after the race - a race where he had ended up second, right after Hamilton as always. He wasn’t in an extremely bad mood, but he did want to avoid his dad and his cat form was perfect for it.

He had debated going away from the track, but he wasn’t sure who he would run into then. The paddock was relatively safe, even for small cats, and he knew people wouldn’t mind him walking around. And so he chose to stay.

Besides, Daniel had left the track already, if Max were to believe Lando’s and Michael’s texts, so he would be safe.

Max slipped out of the back entrance of the Red Bull hospitality, ruffling up his fur before jogging to the main road between the hospitality building. Almost instantly, he spotted Lewis and Sebastian talking to each other not far from him, and for a moment he contemplated moving over, before he realised Roscoe was sitting next to Lewis’s feet. The dog had already spotted him, barking loudly and the hair on Max’s back spiked up as he hissed back.

“Roscoe, stay!” Lewis said firmly, while Sebastian walked over to Max with a soft smile on his face.

“Hello there.” he muttered, winking, and Max still did not know if Seb knew. He still let the German pick him up, purring softly as Sebastian scratched his chin. Sebastian carried him to Lewis, who had given Roscoe to Angela, and also the Brit reached out to gently stroke Max’s fur.

“He looks familiar.” Lewis muttered quizzically. Max felt a spell nudge at him, clearly Lewis trying to find out more about him, and he quickly hissed and tried to get out of Seb’s hold. He had always somewhat known the Brit had magic too, and knew the Brit was aware of Max’s magic, but Lewis had never used it on him before.

“Easy, easy.” Seb said, winching as Max’s nails dug into his shoulders. “Lewis, it’s Max.” The German added in a hushed voice, and Max grumpily pressed his ears back. Lewis seemed surprised, but then smiled, stroking Max’s head again.

“I see you are more powerful than I thought.” he hummed. “And cuter.” he added when Max purred softly at the attention. Lewis took Max out of Sebastian’s arms, holding him against his own chest as the two men headed into the Mercedes hospitality together. Max was a bit uncomfortable, making himself small in Lewis’s arms, but no one seemed to even notice him.

“He put a spell on you, you look like a bag to everyone else.” Sebastian murmured quietly. Max grumbled a bit indignantly, but used the moment to curiously look around the hospitality, which was boringly similar to the Red Bull one. Lewis brought Max to his driver's room, which smelled a bit too much like Roscoe for Max’s liking. He was set down on the massage table and curled his tail around himself as he sat down, waiting to hear what the two needed from him.

“Are you hungry, or thirsty?” Sebastian asked Max, letting him rub his head against his hand. Max let out a soft noise, licking at Seb’s wrist, and the older man chuckled.

“I’ll get you some water.” he said with a smile, placing a tiny bowl in front of Max moments later. Max instantly ducked down to lap some of the cool liquid up, flicking his ears when he saw both Lewis and Sebastian giving him amused looks. He hissed softly, before contentedly licking his paw, running it over his head and ear to groom himself.

“Look at what a cute little kitten you are.” Sebastian cooed. Max huffed, flattening his ears, but then Sebastian leaned in to kiss the top of his head and he could only purr in return.

Maybe it wasn’t bad to be a cute little kitten.

Sebastian and Lewis sat down on the sofa in the corner of the room, their sides pressed together, making Max flick his ears curiously.

“Come here.” Lewis said, patting his lap. Max jumped down from the massage table, swishing his tail as he jogged over to the sofa. He jumped on, standing between the two men as he was unsure whose lap to choose. He eventually crawled onto Lewis’s lap, curiously looking up at the Brit. He knew Lewis was more of a dog person, and didn’t even particularly like Max, so he was curious about how the older man would respond to him. Lewis smiled fondly, stroking a hand down the length of Max’s back and chuckling when Max instantly rolled onto his side, stretching out to give the man better access.

“If you want you can talk to us, you know.” Lewis said softly. “About why you need your cat form, I mean.” he added. Max let out a soft chirp in confirmation and closed his eyes.

Maybe one day he would talk about it. But today wasn’t the day.

~~~~~~~~

Max was fuming as he made his way to the Red Bull hospitality. A tyre had cost him a race win.

A fucking tyre

Max cursed in all the languages he knew, roughly unzipping his race suit and tying the sleeves around his hips. His fireproofs stuck to his skin, somehow making him even more on edge, and Max wanted nothing more than to take his cat form, find Daniel, and be cuddled.

But before he could, Daniel found him, grabbing Max’s arm as Max stormed past the McLaren garage.

“Maxy, breathe.” he said. Max gave the older man an indignant look, not quite believing Daniel had thought that to be the right thing to say.

“No, fuck off.” he hissed back. He knew Dan was trying to help him, to soothe him even, but he couldn’t take it now.

How could he accept kindness when he felt like he was a volcano ready to explode?

“Max…” Daniel still hadn’t let go of his arm and Max tensed up, unsure what Daniel would do. The Aussie was searching his eyes, seeming worried, but Max couldn’t get himself to hold his gaze.

“Leave me the fuck alone, Dan.” Max snapped Daniel’s eyes widened, but he still did not let go of the younger man.

“I’m trying to help you-” Daniel started.

“I don’t need your fucking help.” Max answered before Dan could finish. He tried to pull his arm out of Daniel’s grasp now, but the Aussie only stumbled forward, still holding on.

“Maxy, I just want to-” Daniel tried, and while everything in Max screamed at him to allow the Aussie close, he instead shook his head.

“Mind your own business.” he snapped, roughly shoving Daniel away. The Aussie stumbled, seeming both surprised and hurt and Max felt sick to his stomach.

He had tried to hurt the one person that mattered.

“Max wait!” Daniel yelled, but Max had already turned on his heel, running off before Daniel could stop him.

He had fucked up so bad.

~~~~~~~~~~

Max jogged through the Monaco streets, his small paws making him much faster than he could ever run in human form. He curiously looked around but hadn’t spotted anything worth stopping for for a while now, not until he came back to his apartment building and spotted Alex near the door. He meowed loudly, rubbing himself up against Alex’s legs until the Thai recognised him and picked him up.

“Hey sweetie.” he cooed, letting Max crawl up his shoulder to snuggle into his neck. Max purred loudly, tucking his paws in to make himself small as Alex gently hugged him close. The Thai really was very good with cats, which was no surprise, and Max had been a little sad when the Thai had left the team.

Especially since Checo was rather superstitious and didn’t really appreciate Max as he was a black cat (which in all honesty, was quite amusing too).

“Yeah yeah, calm down.” Alex chuckled when Max meowed, nudging at Alex’s hand until the man gently scratched his chin.

Alex really did give the best scratches.

“Hey Alex, fancy seeing you he-” a voice sounded, Daniel popping up at Alex’s side. The Aussie abruptly quieted down when he spotted Max.

“What are you doing with Captain McCloud?” he huffed. ”Is he yours?” he asked, reaching out and letting Max headbutt his hand. Alex scoffed.

“Captain McCloud? This is-'' he started, but he was interrupted by Max hissing and softly swatting his hand. Alex threw him a disappointed look and handed Max over to Daniel, who protectively cradled him close.

“Captain McCloud is a stray that always shows up at my apartment. I bet he was looking for me.” Daniel muttered. Alex blinked dumbly, but then sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right. He probably was looking for you.” he said. Daniel hummed, seeming a bit embarrassed, but still didn’t loosen his grip. Max just let out a soft noise and curled up in Daniel’s arms, purring and kneading the air to hopefully convince Daniel to take him up to his apartment. He wasn’t disappointed when Daniel bid Alex goodnight and headed in direction of his building, Max still safely cradled in his arms.

“Come on bud, security can’t see you.” Daniel muttered, pulling his hoodie over Max to hide him against his chest. Max’s purring only increased, feeling warm and safe cradled against Dan’s chest. The hoodie smelled strongly like the Aussie and Max contentedly nuzzled into it, closing his eyes and dozing off as Daniel took his into the elevator and up to the right floor.

“There we go.” Daniel muttered, setting Max on the floor once they were safely in the apartment. Max let out a surprised noise when he spotted a small water and food bowl in the corner of the living room, as well as some cat toys spread around the room. He walked over to one of them, a tiny mouse toy, and gave it an experimental swat.

When the toy made a squeaking sound, Max curled his back up and hissed loudly.

What the fuck was this thing?

“Oh buddy, it’s okay, let me silence the mouse.” Daniel chuckled, picking the toy up and fiddling around with it before placing it back down again. Max eyed it skeptically, and then walked around it from a safe distance, hopping onto the sofa instead of playing with him and giving Daniel a hopeful look. Daniel seemed a bit disappointed Max didn’t pay more attention to the toys, but then smiled gently.

“You just want cuddles, don’t you?” Daniel muttered, sitting down next to the cat. Max meowed, climbing onto Dan’s chest and cuddling close. The Aussie gently patted him, but then grabbed his phone.

“One second, I need to see if Max texted me.” Daniel muttered. “Maxy is someone I really like and we had a fight.” Daniel explained the cat softly. Max tensed, his purring ceasing a little as he glanced up at the Aussie’s phone. He saw Daniel opening their conversation and meowed softly when he saw the Aussie’s face fall when he noticed Max hadn’t sent him anything.

Max had wanted to text Daniel, had wanted to apologise but he just hadn’t known what to say.

Maybe part of him had hoped Daniel would have texted him first, but seeing the Aussie sigh and close the chat made him lose hope.

“I think I fucked up, buddy.” Daniel muttered, nuzzling his face into Max’s fur. “I care so much about him, about Max, but for some reason he just won’t let me care.” he muttered, brows furrowed deep in thought. Max purred softly, headbutting Dan’s chin as gently as he could before wiggling out of the Aussie’s grasp and jumping onto the floor.

He had to make Daniel smile again, had to somehow make him happy, and he had an idea.

Max jogged over to where he had left the toy mouse, approaching it hesitantly with his ears pressed against his head before slapping it with his paw. When it didn’t make noise, Max dared to pick it up in his mouth, dragging it back over to the sofa and jumping back onto Dan’s chest with it. He dropped the toy on Daniel’s chest, glancing up at the Aussie’s face for a moment before gently swatting at the mouse with his paw.

“You want to play, buddy?” Daniel chuckled softly, taking the mouse’s tail between his fingers and dragging it across his chest. Max let out a soft noise in interest and pounced on top of it, but Daniel had already moved it away again.

They continued the game for a little while, Daniel occasionally dropping the mouse from the sofa as well to make Max jump up and down the sofa. Eventually, Max tired, pushing both his paws over the mouse to make sure Daniel couldn’t take it away anymore. Daniel chuckled, pulling him up again so Max could contentedly curl up against him.

“Good job little one.” Daniel smiled. He glanced at his phone again, probably checking to see if Max had finally answered him, and then sighed. “You should be here when Max is here. Maybe you can snuggle him, because he definitely won’t let me.” Daniel added suddenly, surprising Max. The cat meowed softly, licking the tip of his nose before rolling over to lay down with his little head on Daniel’s cheek.

Even if he couldn’t give Daniel what he wanted in human form, at least he could be there for Daniel in cat form.

It was the least he could do.

~~~~~~~~

Max had spotted Mick hiding away in one of the alleyways between the motorhomes after one of the practise sessions. He had wanted to tell Sebastian about it, or maybe someone else who knew Mick a little better, but no one seemed to be around. For a moment, he had considered walking over to Mick to ask what was wrong, but he knew he wasn’t exactly the best at comforting people.

Instead, he hid off to the side and changed into his cat form, stretching his paws and ruffling his fur in place before jogging over towards the young man. Mick seemed surprised to see a cat, but then instantly knelt down, holding out his hand and gently tutting at Max. Max meowed softly and pushed against Mick’s hand, starting to purr as Mick gently scratched his head.

“Aren’t you cute.” Mick smiled, kneeling down completely to be able to pat Max better. The cat happily pushed close to him, swishing his tail into Mick’s face to make him smile. “Thank you. This is just what I needed.” he exhaled shakily. Max jumped up, placing his front paws on Mick’s chest to rub his cheek over the German’s nose. Mick lifted him up, sitting down with his back against the motorhome and his arms firmly wrapped around the cat. Max let him, not liking seeing Mick so down, and tried to cheer Mick up as best he could.

“It’s just hard, you know? Showing I belong here for what I can do when everyone thinks I’m just here because of my name.” Mick muttered. He was speaking German, which Max understood just fine, but it did make him feel like he was intruding.

He wanted to tell Mick that it was okay, that the drivers all know what he was worth already, but instead he just meowed softly and kneaded his paws against Mick’s chest until the German smiled again.

“Thank you.” Mick muttered softly, letting Max cuddle in his arms a bit longer.

Max liked Mick. He was gentle and kind, and Max understood some of the immense pressure he was under. He wanted to be closer to Mick, to let him know he wasn’t alone, but he knew that wasn’t something he could do in human form.

For now, the cat form would have to do.

~~~~~~~~

“There you are.” Daniel smiled when Max slipped through the open balcony doors and into the Aussie’s apartment. Max was a little later than usual, having been in yet another fight with his dad, and he practically propelled himself in Daniel’s arms when the Aussie knelt down. Daniel caught him, instantly stroking his back and Max let out a soft noise, purring desperately as he rubbed his cheek against Daniel’s. He needed Daniel, needed his comforting touch, and he was glad Daniel gave it to him without hesitation.

“Come here boy.” Daniel hummed, carrying Max to his bedroom and setting him on the bed. The tv in the bedroom was already on, playing a random movie quietly in the background as Daniel sat down on the bed with Max still against his chest. The cat meowed happily, purring and already kneading against Dan’s chest.

“You’re particularly needy today.” Daniel muttered in amusement, scratching Max’s chin. The cat just cuddled even closer, practically curling himself around Daniel’s neck as a scarf. “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not sending you away.” Daniel tutted.

Max would have cried had he been in human form. He wasn’t used to the way in which Daniel could give his everything to someone without hesitation, but he appreciated it more than he could ever put into words.

Even now, when he could still hear his dad’s, as well as Marko’s, harsh words echoing in his head, Daniel made him feel safe.

Daniel pushed him off his chest so Max could lay on the soft blankets, still cuddled into his side while Daniel’s curled his arm around the cat, hugging him close while humming absentmindedly under his breath. Max purred, closing his eyes tightly as he nuzzled his face into Dan’s arm.

He wished he could be in human form, he wished Daniel would hug and cuddle him like this too when he was just-

”Max?” Daniel gasped out suddenly, the warm arm that had been laying around Max quickly being pulled away. Max’s eyes flew open and he sat up, leaning on his hands-

Fuck.

Hands.

Max swiveled towards Daniel, whose eyes were wide while his mouth hung open as he stared at Max, who had just accidentally, stupidly changed back into his human form.

“Shit, s-shit I’m sorry.” Max gasped, stumbling off the bed. Daniel got up too, still seeming to be trying to catch up with everything that was happening.

“You- cat..? what..?” Daniel stuttered. Max let out a sob, hands pressing to his mouth as he moved out of the Aussie’s reach.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he rambled. Daniel reached for him again and Max panicked, shifting back into his cat form and hissing loudly at Daniel before scurrying off. The bedroom door was closed but the closet door was open and Max slipped inside, making himself small against the back wall and hoping Daniel would give up on him.

“Max? Maxy?” Daniel tried, and Max could hear, and vaguely see, the Aussie laying down on his stomach in front of the closet. A hand pushed into the closet, almost touching Max and the cat hissed at it, pressing even more into the safe little corner he had found.

“Maxy? Please… please let me help you.” Daniel begged. “I’m not upset at you, mate. I’m just worried.” he added softly. Max wanted to hiss again, but then Daniel’s fingers lightly brushed his flank and Max felt himself melt into the touch. He let out a soft noise and could hear Daniel letting out a soft hum in response.

“Please Maxy…” Daniel sighed. Max hesitated but then leaned in, bumping his head against Daniel’s hand and taking comfort in the familiar touch. Daniel stroked his fur the best he could, even if the angle was awkward, still talking softly to Max while Max just tried to muster up all the courage he had.

“Come out, Max. Please. I’m not mad, I promise you I won’t be mad.” Daniel whispered. Max hesitantly scooted over to the door, slipping out of the door but staying close to the floor with his ears pressed back against his head as he looked up at Daniel.

“I’m not mad.” Daniel repeated. “Please darling, I care for you…” he murmured. Max let out a deep breath, and changed back into his human form. He stayed knelt on the floor, looking anywhere but Daniel’s face as he waited for the Aussie to speak.

“Max, you can say no, but can I hug you?” Daniel asked softly. Max looked at the older man through his lashes, seeing the earnest affection in his eyes, and then nodded curtly.

Even in human form, Daniel’s hugs were the best thing ever, warm and safe and loving and unlike anything Max had ever felt before. He let himself sink into the touch, his arms wrapping around Daniel to hug back as Daniel’s fingers carded through his hair.

“I’m sorry.” Max rasped, tears filling his eyes. Daniel shushed him.

“Don’t be, I understand.” he answered, pulling back and clutching Max’s face between his hands to gently urge Max to look at him. “You know I care for you, I’ve even told you so when you were a cat…” he whispered. Max blushed, wanting to avert his eyes, but Daniel tugged him in, resting their foreheads together.

“Maxy, you mean everything to me.” he whispered. Max let out a strangled sob. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t find the words. Instead, he nuzzled into Daniel’s hand, as if he was in cat form, and Daniel smiled.

“I know, it’s okay. I know.” he whispered, and Max shuddered as Daniel’s soft lips brushed over his forehead. He dared to open his eyes again, still close to crying, but then smiled as Daniel steadily gazed back at him.

“I care for you too.” Max said breathlessly. Daniel smiled shakily, thumb brushing a tear of Max’s cheek.

“I never doubted that.” he answered. Max let out a soft noise, and before he could stop himself, he leaned in to press his lips over Daniel’s. He momentarily feared Daniel would push him away, but then Daniel brought him closer, kissing back as his fingers curled back into Max’s hair.

“Wow.” Max muttered dumbly as they parted again, both breathless and giddy as they stared at each other.

“You’re more articulate in cat form.” Daniel muttered, teasingly flicking Max’s nose. Max huffed out a laugh, swatting at Daniel’s chest.

“Oh shut up.” he muttered. He snuggled back into Daniel’s arms, sighing in disbelief as Daniel hugged him back.

“You are a cute cat, but maybe you’re even cuter like this.” Daniel whispered. Max smiled giddily, pulling Daniel down into a kiss once more.

They still had a lot to talk about, a lot of things to overcome, but Max was scarily certain they would be okay.

And if something threatened to go wrong? Well, very few people could say no to a little black cat with green eyes.