WRC imagines (x-reader)

Ott Tänak

(This story is partly inspired by his Mexico water crash)

I'm getting paired with a new driver for this rally. Apparently his co-driver recently got sick and can't attend the rally.
I mean it's a huge honor to co-drive for a WRC driver but can't say I'm not nervous, couse I am.

"Hey you can come in now and meet your driver for this rally," my manager tells me. I enter his office and to my surprise the driver is Ott Tänak. He's notorious for being a difficult person to work with but I was up for the challenge. We'll both probably learn something from this experience.

Ott's pov:

They're pairing me with a new co-driver for this rally cause Martin managed to get sick right before the rally.

"I'll tell them to come in now," my manager tells me. "Mhm," I quietly mumble and stand up to greet them when they walk in.

My eyes lock with the person when they walk in and... what... it's a WRC2 co-driver.
'Her really?" I question my manager but before I can get another word out he pulls me to the side and whispers:" Give her a chance alright? She'll get some more experience with co-driving for you and you'll probably learn something as well. Now BE NICE!".

"Ott, (name)," our manager introduces us.

Back to your pov:

"Ott, (name)," our manager introduces us. Shaking hands I try to make eye contact with him but it seems he's doing everything he can to avoid meeting my gaze.

"Well it's nice to meet you!" I say and he mumbles something along the lines of hello.

-time skip-

It's now a few days before the ceremonial opening of the rally. Ott and I have been busy with writing new base notes and correcting old ones. Recce was yesterday and tomorrow is shakedown. I'm very nervous for the rally cause for the past week it seems like he's trying his hardest to make my job harder or make it seem like I don't know what I'm doing.

-small time skip-

"Ready to go?" Ott asks knocking on my hotel door. "Yeah I'm ready," I answer as I walk out and close the door behind me.

Today is the second day of the rally and things have been going quite smoothly this far.

We arrived at the service park and started getting stuff ready for the drive over to the stage start.

-another small time skip-

"Two right, long," I tell Ott. But something went wrong. I don't know what it was. Was it him braking at a bad time or a mechanical problem. I don't know but the next thing I do know is that the car was quickly sinking in to the water we were now in.

I undo my seat belt and try to open the door.

"Out, out NOW! CAN YOU GET OUT?" Ott yells out whilst trying to escape himself. The car was sinking faster and with one final push I got the door open and swam out before it was too late.

Swimming to the surface I found Ott frantically splashing around but he stopped and swam over to me once he saw I was out.

"Are you ok?" he asks and seems genuinely worried. "Yeah, yeah I'm good," I say still coughing from inhaling too much water at once. We swam to the shore and waited for the marshals to get here.

When they finally arrived we got some towels to wrap around ourselves and a ride back in the ambulance.

Thankfully we were both OK and just a little shaken up. But that was the end of the rally for us.

-time skip-

As I was lying in my hotel bed I heard a knock on the door. I got up, opened the door and to my surprise was there Ott with a bag of (your fav fast food).

"Hey, everything aright?" I asked him. "Yeah just came to see how you were doing and to apologize for almost k!lling you," he chuckled.

"All forgiven," I tell him and invite him in. "How did you know I like these?" I ask him. " I remember you telling me these were your favorite one night when we were going over the base notes," Ott smiles. "And you remembered?" I smile back.

AN: This took a while... anyway do you guys remember when after the rally they showed up wearing snorkeling masks 🤿 ?