a/n: this came to me in a dream idk can we just let a girl write perhaps? i might make a part 2 if u guys like but this is just a little smth. not proofread cuz i'm tired.
this has got to be some sort of sick joke, oscar was thinking to himself as he watches his engineers scramble around the garage at the last minute, ensuring perfection for his car. don't get it twisted, oscar was nothing short of grateful for his team at mclaren, after all he wouldn't be able to do his job if they didn't do theirs but he doesn't know if he can go a whole sprint qualifying without hearing a sound!
he takes out his earpiece, expecting to hear the sound of last minute tools whirring and even the low rumble of the surrounding engines because why would he think that it's his hearing that has suddenly decided to cut out five minutes before his car is supposed to fight 21 others for pole position and not something wrong with his old ear pieces? though when he takes the right one out there isn't any difference and a pang of what he can only describe as sheer panic races up from his toes.
"hey!" oscar tries (well he thinks he tries, he can't actually hear if the words come out his mouth or not) to get the attention of whatever engineer was closest. he sees someone look over at him - he must've made some sort of noise then.
"I can't hear anything!" he waves the - now useless - ear pieces around his helmeted head, trying to get his point and panic across but before anything could be done about it, the engineer at the end of his garage was giving him the signal to come on out. oscar sighs and decides that he's just going to have to try and go the entire session without hearing anything, much less his times or where he could be improving. before he drives out the safeness of the garage he does put those dreaded ear pieces back in.
as the aussie goes out for his first lap, he can't hear the crowd as he passes by but he does see the way people jump out their seats and the way their mouths move in what he can only expect are cheers, he's not trying to sound big headed, he's not even sure if they're for him or not! he can't hear the rumble of the engine and the sounds of him pressing down on the accelerator but he can feel when the vibrations rumbling through him and he supposes that they feel like they usually do.
after an eventful qualifying session oscar ends up p5. not too bad with having to adjust to his new hard-of-hearing lifestyle, he supposes as he climbs out the car in his garage and heads over to the media pen.
"I can't hear anything at all!" oscar shouts to his media assistant, feeling awful as she was trying to quickly prepare him for what kind of questions they were going to ask him. he was going to have to learn the art of lip reading in the next ten seconds or else this may go south real quick. the poor girls eyes widen as she tries to think of a game plan but before he can they have reached the pen.
as oscar stands in front of the sky sports journalist, he can see the assistant explain the situation they were in and suddenly oscar was worrying about a fine that was almost certainly in his future. a small hand waving in front of his face snaps him out of his trance, a phone quickly replacing that hand.
we are just going to have the questions types out for you.
huh, whoever came up with that deserves a raise, oscar thinks to himself.
"yeah, sounds good." oscar replies, watching as the reporter writes down the questions that they have for him. it ends up taking him at least half an hour longer than it usually does for him to do his rounds and after all this drama he just wants to get into his hotel bed and sleep right up until the sprint tomorrow. instead, when he gets to his driver room he is met with lando and zap, one much more concerned about the situation than the other.
oscar sees zak's mouth moving frantically, even if he could lip read he doubts anyone would be able to make out whatever he is stressing out about. maybe this whole going deaf thing isn't so bad after all. after staring at him blankly for a few seconds he can see lando start to laugh and zak looks around for something to write with.
what happened? is all that is written on some kind of document oscar was supposed to sign yesterday.
"my hearing- it's just gone. i can't hear anything at all. i thought it was my ear pieces but when i took them out I still couldn't hear anything."
zak listens intently before grabbing the pen again and writing we'll get the medic to look you over before the sprint tomorrow.
eventually everyone goes back to the hotel and it's when he's all alone and it's supposed to be quiet that oscar feels the panic wash over his body. confusingly, this felt more suffocating and lonely than when he knew he was supposed to hear the hustle and bustle of his day-to-day at work.
★・・・・・・★
"it's just a freak incident." is what lando had told oscar that the medic explained his hearing loss. it's not even been 24 hours yet and the driver knows that he is going to go insane with the loss of one of the most important senses. oscar tries not to let it get to him and effect his performance, this is going to be a good season and he's not going to let whatever is going on right now stop him from getting what he wants.
this does prove to be a little bit more complicated than he first anticipated because that entire weekend, every time he was actually racing he wasn't himself. he couldn't rave up to his whole potential and everyone around him, including the others on the grid knew this. he wasn't driving bad but he could be ten times better and it was eating him up inside. eventually, it was announced to the press that oscar was struggling with his hearing which was ultimately effecting his performance.
in the team meetings where everyone's assistants were frantically taking notes and it seemed like lando was giving essential information on the car, all oscar could do was smile and nod. never in a million years did he think he would be sitting here wishing he could hear what his bosses and teammate were saying on an early monday morning meeting. god what he would give to hear lando wind andrea up right now.
the whole pen and paper thing didn't last long and neither did the writing in people's notes app. oscar was starting to feel a bit isolated. people stopped making the effort and he would end up with a whole folder full of things that had been spoken about that he needed to know that oscar now spent his time at MTC studying because what else was he supposed to do? even his trainer was getting sick of him and honestly he doesn't even blame him, everyone was at this point.
this goes on for weeks. meetings he misses, races he goes without knowing what is going on, interviews that take much longer than before and countless conversations he misses out on. that's probably the one thing that oscar misses about hearing. the conversations, with fans and his team, everyone. and when oscar is alone in the shower, the one place that everyone is alone with their own thoughts is where it really gets to him. the overwhelming sense that maybe he will never hear anything ever again. he won't hear those annoying birds chirping outside his monaco apartment again, or the sound of his future children laughing and giggling as they play with their mother - his future wife! - he won't hear her voice, or even the song that they choose as the their first dance at their wedding. that's the only time he lets himself spiral like that. when he's alone and quite frankly, doesn't want to talk any sense into himself.
after two months, oscar is used to it. everyone around him is. lando no longer teases him and the team have brought a whiteboard and pen to bring around the garage to make things easier. oscar appreciated that. the team and oscar himself have adapted and even though oscar still has his spirals sometimes they aren't as frequent and he has finally comes to terms with this hearing loss. he even won his first race while not being able to hear anything. he had missed the feeling of standing on that top step of the podium so much that even just imagining his national anthem being played made him feel like he was finally back.
★・・・・・・★
another 1-2 for the team this time around. lando coming first, which of course is frustrating but at this point oscar is surprised he is still racing at all at this point. after the podium, when he is smelling of champagne, he makes his way to the media pen like always, with his media assistant in tow with the team whiteboard. the part of the day that oscar dreads no matter what place he comes in. most of the journalists couldn't care less about his hearing and still continue to ask him questions as if he could hear a thing but this time it's different. this time she's here.
oscar wasn't paying attention so he didn't notice how his media assistant didn't hand over their whiteboard. no, she didn't need to because here she was with her own. a tap on his shoulder is what makes him notice her. she was new and clearly she wasn't like the rest of the people he had spoken to today. she had a heart. and a really pretty face. what? he did not just think that. god, get your head in the game, oscar. he snapped himself back into the present and the kind smile on her face asnhe help up her own board brought a smile onto his own face. shit.
hi oscar! great race today! how did you feel about your tires? there was talk on your pit wall about some concerns on lands side, do you feel the same? was written in pretty block letters. (don't ask how letters can be pretty, oscar is sure that everything this girl does is pretty).
"um i think tires were okay on my end, i didn't know about tire concerns." oscar explains with a smile on his face, unusual for oscar in media these days, unless he's coming off the back of a win of course.
the interview continues on like that for another few minutes, not once does she open her mouth to speak to him which oscar oddly appreciates. at the end of the interview when he is sure the camera isn't rolling anymore oscar asks "what's your name, sorry?".
y/n is written on her board like an autograph and oscar tries it on his tongue and it fits like a pair of shoes made to fit his feet.
now oscar knows what happens next is him going fucking crazy because he swears he can hear a laugh. a sweet, melodic laugh and it is probably the best thing he has ever heard in his life and he couldn't be more grateful that it was the first sound he heard in two months because it belongs to that pretty reporter.
five times lando takes the lead + the one time you do | lando norris
○ tw: swearing, lando being cute, someone might find this a little toxic but i don’t so shh○
♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ : w/c: 5k of me projecting. it was my birthday today so here’s a present!
༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶
1.correcting your posture.
you had told lando way back at the start of the year that your new years resolution was to fix your posture. you didn't expect him to really take in what you were saying because he was swamped with work emails and all the other shit he had to do to get ready for pre-season. it was a simple passing comment, hell you guys weren't even official when you had told him about it. why would he remember something so insignificant about someone he was casually seeing?
well you just assumed that he wouldn't, maybe that was just because you can't really remember anything small thing he had said to you in the very early days of your relationship so it made you feel bad if he did.
it was safe to say you did not do well with your resolution and had almost completely forgotten that you had even made it a resolution in the first place but it seemed like lando hadn't.
it was a race week this week and you had the privilege of joining lando this. before jetting off halfway across the world both lando and oscar had been asked to join zak and andrea at mtc just to go over some things about the car and the upcoming race. to be honest you didn't really know why but lando had asked if you wanted to come and you didn't even think before you accepted.
it was very busy as lando drove you in towards the the car park in his flashy car, it always made you feel like a pop star when lando drove you around and lando did it because he knew you loved pretending the paps were following after you after they discovered you with your new man (lando). he found it cute.
"c'mon then, sweetheart. let's get this over and done so we can get on the plane." lando says as he holds a hand out to help you out of the car. you and lando were heading straight to the airport after this 'meeting' so you were both in clothes more on the comfortable side. both repping some sort of mclaren merch of course. yours was most likey stolen from the driver himself.
you both meet oscar as you walk in. he's by himself so you ask about his own girlfriend and if she was attending the race. oscar shakes his head sadly, telling you she's focusing on her studies and you can't help admire her for that. you have always had a soft spot for lily, just like lando has for oscar you're sure.
a member of staff heards the three of you into a meeting room where zak and andrea are already waiting. seeing them both next to each other always makes you a little nervous for some reason, you never know why and lando loves to make fun of you for it. they both greet the three of you with smiles and you feel lando move himself closer to you, not wanting to show basically any pda in front of his bosses but wanting you to know he was here and still thinking of you. he ends up so close to you that your arms are grazing against each other.
zak starts the meeting off and you can't lie, you aren't listening one bit but you hope to god lando is because oscar is asking questions and nodding his head like it's important. you worry though when his hand comes to the small of your back to rub there slowly. oh there is no way that boy is listening to a word that's being said. god help him.
you try to listen in for lando because he clearly cannot be trusted to do it himself. it's difficult to understand but you have a whole flight to ask your boyfriend what it all means as you catch him up.
you actually feel like you're on a roll and actually taking in what both men are talking about when lando throws you off completely. his hand that was resting on the small of your back comes to lay in the middle of your shoulder blades, ultimately straightening your posture. you already feel it at the bottom of your back and you feel the urge to sag back down again but lando's other hand is forcing you to stay in the position that he wants. it makes you feel warm but you try to push it to the back of your mind as you mentally take notes for the incapable boy.
the meeting wasn't too long, which now made sense in your mind as to why they didn't ask you all to take a seat but lando made you stand like that for the rest of the meeting. zak and andrea wish you both a safe flight before bidding everyone goodbye. oscar turning in his spot to exit the room and lando's hands forcing you to do the same. halfway down the corridor he removes both his hands and grabs your hand with one of his, now free ones. every time you drop your shoulders down you feel a little nudge and you are straightening up right away. lando squeezes your hand every time you do what he silently asks.
once you both are back in the car and lando is driving you both to the airport, that is when you ask him about it.
"what was all of that about?" you ponder, eyes flitting all over his pretty face as he drives like it's his second nature (it one hundred percent is).
"didn't you say you wanted to straighten your posture up?" lando questions, like he actually looks confused on why you would ask him that. he's acting like it was a common occurance but it doesn't piss you off, no instead you just smile. you just can't believe he remembered something so small and boring about you and tried to make it happen when you forgot about it.
the flight was filled with you trying to explain what it was exactly that zak and andrea had told you and oscar in the meeting room at mtc.
2. he keeps you feeling safe.
it was a really good race for lando today, he had begged you to come out clubbing with him which had made no sense to you whatsoever because wasn't going out clubbing a way to de-stress without your girlfriend? well it didn't matter what you thought because lando was literally on his knees in front of you in your hotel begging you to come. of course it was a joke and he was doing it get a laugh out of you so you would accept his offer but it really set you off balance seeing lando like that.
he was supposed to be the one that made you feel like getting to your knees and begging for something, joke or not. getting a taste of the roles being reversed made you wish for the way it usually was with the two of you. you didn't do too well with change.
"okay, okay, if i agree will you get up?" you ask him, the change clearly sends waves of discomfort through your body and because lando knows you too well, he knows this.
lando smirks up and you and replies with a simple, "yeah."
that's how you end up jumping into a quick shower to get yourself ready for the night ahead. lando is also in the hotel bathroom while you're showering. he makes sure to make his presence known as he clatters about, searching through his toiletry bag for his (your) favourite cologne. you love the homely feeling that rushes through you as lando makes conversation with you as a way of staying close to you when you're getting ready. he never fails to make you feel wanted.
you don't know how this is the first time since you had started dating lando that you were both going clubbing together because you were sure it was known worldwide that he loved a good night out. it made you feel special that he wanted you to come with him tonight. and to celebrate an amazing weekend, not just for lando but for the whole team. you hoped oscar and lily would be making an appearance, you had missed spending time the girl and you were both a little more introverted than some of the other wags, so you knew that if she was there you would have someone the entire night. not that you were expecting lando to leave you alone - you were just planning for a worst case senario.
lando walks over to you as you're standing in the bathroom trying to slip in a pair of earrings he had actually gotten you before you had even started dating, in front of the vanity mirror. you were struggling, you couldn't remember the last time you had a reason to wear earrings, never mind ones this fancy.
the brunette's arms snake around your waist as his chin sits on your shoulder, admiring you from the mirror. you looked beautiful to him everyday but in this dress? he remembers picking it out for you when he was at a boutique in japan earlier this year and just imagining you in it made his heart race. this had been the first time you had worn it besides the time you tried it on for him after he brought it home for you.
"look at you. don't know how i'm going to keep my hands off of you tonight, love." lando speaks into your shoulder, leaving soft, gentle kisses in his wake. his words make you flustered but you have no time to respond because lando is talking again.
"osc and lily are outside in a car waiting for us. i'm pretty sure max is coming out too." lando murmurs, a subtle demand for you to hurry up and get downstairs, which you blindly follow.
your eyes light up at the mention of your fellow mclaren wag tagging along. lily, like you, was never one for clubbing and to be honest neither was oscar but you knew how great of a weekend this was for mclaren and weren't too surprised the young australian wanted to join you and your boyfriend in the celebrations. you were surprised that his girlfriend was coming though. surprised and elated.
lando just smiles at the delight in your eyes before giving the back of your dress a light tug to get you moving. minutes later you're clinging to his arm as you are both exiting the fancy hotel lobby and out into the mild evening. you see the car waiting for you as soon as you leave the spinning doors.
the ride to the fancy club was filled with you chatting away to lily, the poor girl couldn't get a word in edgeways but she didn't seem to mind much, just listening to your work stories with a grin on her face, nodding when it was polite to do so. if you didn't know someone you were proper shy and never mustered up more than a simple sentence or two, but if you knew the person? god, let's just hope they brought earplugs because it was almost impossible to shut you up.
the night had been going perfectly and to your knowledge it still was. you were stood up at the bar with lando while you waited on your drinks and lando was talking to some guy, you didn't listen to his name because to be quite frank, you didn't really care what it was.
as much as lando was one for showing you off and wanting to constantly have his hands on you, he was never one for doing it in public, where he couldn't control who see what. it just never sat right with him so he just kept it as minimal as possible with hand holding. you knew this so of course you didn't try and force him to do anymore, even though you were a very clingy drunk.
so when lando comes to stand directly behind you and wrap his arms around you, just like back at the hotel in front of the mirror, it shocks you. you knew lando was barely drunk so you had no clue why he was getting so touchy with you, especially when he was mid conversation with someone. you don't want to interrupt his conversation by asking him why so you just lean into his touch and continue waiting. it isn't long before the bartender slides your drinks across the table, apologising for the wait. you shrug it off and spin in lando's hold to give him his drink.
"thank you, love." lando smiles and presses a quick kiss to the corner of your lips. in your intoxicated state it makes you all blushy and giggly. you're sure you hear lando make up some excuse about having to leave before he's leaving the man at the bar and moving you back to the booth, back to all your friends. as you sit down at the edge, lando stands in between your legs, looking down at you with what can only be described as heart eyes.
"what was all that about?" you ask him, gentle eyes peering up at his. lando's gaze darkens just as touch as you question him about his sudden urge to touch you and hold you close. he shrugs before putting your drink onto the table and pulling your head close to his stomach.
"he was staring at your arse." lando answers simply, voice filled with possessiveness. you don't even respond, just smile into his loose fitting t-shirt. you notice your makeup stains it but lando wears it proudly, wanting everyone to know you are his.
3. he tells you what to do (in a sweet way)
a lot of people thought that lando telling you what to do and basically bossing you about was weird. you didn't think so but apparently almost all of your friends thought so. it wasn't like lando was mean about it, he was so fucking sweet to you all the time it literally made you melt sometimes. the way that anyone thought that lando wasn't head over heels in love with you baffled you to no end.
to explain, lando knew you better than you knew yourself. he knew what you wanted to eat before you had even realised you were hungry. you were so easy to read to him, but that meant that the driver also knew how indecisive you were and how anytime you were faced with a decision that was even mildly difficult your brain, quite literally, short circuited. it was something that up until you met lando and he had gotten to know you, that had caused you major problems. but now with lando here, he made the decisions for you because he knew what you wanted even when you didn't.
neither of you really stopped to think about how it would look to someone outside of your relationship because, well why would you? to you and lando, anyone else's opinion on your relationship didn't matter. at the end of the day it was what made you and your boyfriend happy. and this way just worked for you both.
the first time you noticed other people maybe gave a second thought to what you and lando had was when you were invited to a close friend of your sister's baby shower. you both had grown up together and since your older sister couldn't make it due to being on holiday at the time, she had invited you and told you to bring someone along with you. you didn't really know that men weren't really that common at a baby shower so you, of course, asked lando to accompany you.
you had to ask nicely for lando to take the most normal looking car he had so you two didn't stand out too much, not wanting to be the talk of someone else's baby shower. that would make you feel horrible.
your sister's friend cheers your name as she opens the door after you give a few polite knocks. you stand hand in hand with lando and you will never forget the look on her face when she saw him standing with you. you knew it wasn't because she recognised lando, but because there was a literal man at her baby shower. a man she didn't even know, nonetheless.
"hi. uh come on in?" it's phrased as a question, it's how you know the poor girl is still puzzled. you feel a little bad no matter how funny it is.
she leads both you and lando to a beautifully decorated gazebo, filled with baby pink banners. well at least you now know she's having a girl. you feel bad for lando more and more as you sit down on the free seats by the entrance and realise there are no other males here at all. you had to make it up to him later, you supposed. you told him as much but he shook his head and said he was going to have fun. you doubted that but let him believe it anyway.
a few drinks in and the previous tension that was lingering from not really knowing anyone here had disappeared and you were now chatting away now you had some of that liquid courage.
just as you finish up your conversation with the girl on your right (you know it's horrible but for the life of you, you can't remember her name) lando turns to you and says, "go and get a glass of water." and if that didn't raise a few eyebrows then you doing so without any hesitation whatsoever, would've.
what everyone didn't know though, was that you didn't want to get drunk at a baby shower and although you felt just the appropriate amount of drunk for an event like this, lando knew that anymore would tip you over the edge, hence his instructions. and you follow because why would lando tell you to do something if it wasn't in your best interest? you did have to admit though it was funny watching everyone silently lose their shit when you two did this. you both agreed it would never get old.
4. he helps you through a crisis
it was clear to anyone who knew the both of you that in your relationship, although you were both prone to worrying and panicking, you trumped lando. he had even begun to suspect you had some sort of unknown anxiety disorder from the silly little things you worried about.
the thing that shocked him most though was that you thought it was normal to feel like that, normal to worry about silly little things that don't really matter that much in your day to day life. ever since you had started waking up on your own you had set at least ten alarms on your phone and it annoys the fuck out of lando but he has never mentioned it to you because he knows the reasons behind it and yelling at you will do nothing but make you worry more. why do you set so many alarms for the next morning? well, because you may sleep in of course! lando understands that, of course he does, even though he doesn't really get the whole being worried about being late thing, he understands. it's when you set ten alarms when you both don't have any plans the next day. and when you sleep through every single one of them because he tired you out the night before. it killed him.
so it was safe to say you were a worrier, much more than your other half. even though you worry an abnormal amount, lando knew how to keep a level head and even learned how to talk some sense into your more sillier worries. this one wasn't one of those though.
you were due to start your brand new college course and god if you hadn't gone through every single situation that could go wrong in your mind about a million times until you had made yourself mentally sick. lando, obviously, noticed this and took you out for a day of buying new clothes and supplies that you would need for your course. bless his heart for trying to distract your horrible mind.
"what about here? does this do cute clothes? i liked that outfit they had at the window." lando mentions as he gestures to some store you had never set foot in before.
"not sure." is all you reply with. lando's not quite sure exacly where you are in your mind but he knows your travelling down that horrible, panicking road quite quickly and he needs to find a way to get your mind off of it and onto something else.
unfortunately, he isn't quick enough and you're halfway to a panic attack and right in the middle of the shopping square is the last place you want to have it. lando's thumb is swiping across your hand trying to ground you but it's not enough, you can feel the heavy pressing on your chest, like cement is filling it up.
lando can always tell when you're about to go into a panic attack. you either get quite and shut him out, trying to push him away (for some reason unbeknown to him) or you get mean and say a lot of stuff that you don't meant at all and regret almost as soon as you say it. this time you were quiet so lando tries to lead you somewhere less busy, wanting you away from everyone's eyes.
almost as soon as you're alone your breathing picks up and you just let yourself panic. you sink to the floor as you heave in breaths but lando is quick to follow you down to hold your hands and try and will you back to him.
"hey, c'mon now love. you know what to do. give me five things you can see." lando says, voice all warm and syrupy. it makes your insides melt and weirdly makes you feel better already.
although this way is a lot less demanding and raises a lot less eyebrows it's one you appreciate a ton, maybe even more than the others. it made you feel seen, like he actually knew you and wanted to help you even when you were at your most vulnerable and needed a helping hand into getting back to your normal, bubbly self again.
5. he distracts you without even knowing (he knows)
it's been said by many people many different times throughout the course of yours and lando's realtionship that you both know each other inside and out. it's so easy for people, like his fans who only get a glimpse into your time spent together, to see that you know each other like the back of your hand.
there is one specific moment that goes very viral on tiktok that you have to admit, anytime one comes up on your for you page you give save it to your favourites to watch during those times when you miss lando just a little more than usual.
lando can tell when your mind isn't one hundred per cent focused on something, just like you can tell when he is letting his mind wander to what film he was going to force you to watch later on that evening. the tiktok that had went viral was a prime example of this. lando's best friend, max had went live at the flat you and lando shared. you were supposed to be studying for an assignment you had to complete at the end of the week but instead both boys had ended up distracting you from your studies. it didn't bother you at all, or else you wouldn't have sat in the same room as them. okay maybe you would've but it wasn't your fault you were obsessed with your boyfriend.
max was answering some of the questions that were popping up in the chat as lando sat alongside him, chiming in whenever he felt it necessary. his eyes were focused more on you and what you weren't doing. you could tell by the stern look in his eyes that he was trying to tell you to get back to studying or else he would kick you out of the room so you would actually work, and you didn't want that so you put your head back down and try to focus.
it doesn't last longer than five minutes because max is then making a funny joke about the amount of times lando had tried to fix his toaster and failed and it kept you fairly distracted, much to lando's chagrin.
a few more stern looks were thrown your way and every time you focus back on your work, only to get distracted again minutes later. lando had never seen you so easily distracted before, it was actually quite amusing if he wasn't so bothered about you actually studying so you could pass the class and the assignment.
the next time lando sends you a look over the camera you aren't even watching him, eyes pretending to read whatever was on your own computer as you smile and try to hold a laugh in at whatever max was saying. this pissed lando off to an extreme he knew he shouldn't be at. he was just worried for you, you had told him the night before about how tonight was the only night you could pack this much studying in. he knew he shouldn't have let max stream here tonight. he knew his friend would serve as a great distraction from something you didn't even want to do in the first place.
once max quietens to read the stream you hear three firm taps on the table and although you have never heard anything of the sort before in your life, you just know it's lando telling you silently to get on with your work without saying it in front of the stream and making you both look bad. you wanted to keep some parts of your relationship out of the limelight and this one was one of them.
you shuffle around in your college bag and find your headphones, slipping them on to let yourself fully concentrate. the sight pleases lando and not just because you picked up on his silent gesture and actually listened to him but because you were doing what you said you had to get done today. lando was a firm believer in setting small goals, like studying for an hour, and achieving them. you knew for a fact that once max left, lando would be showering you with praise and kisses.
+1 you tell him what to do
you knew the dynamic in the relationship and you were not big on change at all nor were your instincts anything like your boyfriends. you always wanted to listen and never tell others what to do. you used to do that and you were called bossy, so you vowed never again.
you were quite happy with lando and how your relationship was but there was some times where you had to put a foot down and actually make a decision because this was something that lando maybe had no clue about.
you had just gotten home from what seemed like one of the most gruelling shifts at work and all you wanted was to come home and crash in lando's arms. all the way home your brain kept repeating, thank fuck it's friday and i don't have to anything tomorrow.
once you finally arrive home, it feels like entering the gates of heaven. that is until you notice that lando isn't in any of his usual places when you return home and instead is in front of your vanity mirror, applying some moisturiser on his face. he only does that when he's going out. the thought of him leaving right now makes you want to flip out but instead you keep calm and enter the room.
"hi, love." lando greets as soon as you slump into the room and trape towards him. you quite easily fall into his embrace. it's then that you notice he's wearing his going out clothes and that he was almost definitely going to be leaving you tonight. you nearly tear up just thinking about laying alone in your bed tonight because were you fuck in the mood for joining him tonight, not after the shift you just had.
you mumble back something you're sure can be considered a greeting and you rest your head in the crook of his neck. lando's arms move around your back as he hums all soft and gentle like. it's almost like he's trying to lull you to sleep while you're standing with him. you also catch a whiff of his aftershave and it makes you want to cry, he smells so good and exactly like how lando is supposed to smell. you need him to stay with you tonight.
"you goin' out?" you mumble once more, it's a miracle he can even hear you, but he does as he responds just as nicely as he did before. it almost makes you forget that he is planning on leaving you.
"yeah, it won't be a late one." he tells you.
you don't respond just let yourself rest in his embrace and cling on tighter every time he tries to pull away, telling you that he's going to be late if he doesn't leave right now. as if you actually cared. once it gets to the point where lando is desperately trying to get you off of him, that's when you finally speak up.
"you're not leaving me tonight. i need you here." you don't ask, you demand it. if he left you right now you were so sure that you would cry so hard and not stop until he came home. you were also in no state of mind or just state in general to be taking care or a drunk or even a tipsy lando. as much as you loved that version of your boyfriend, all you wanted tonight was to fall asleep in his arms to some dumb film that was on comedy central.
"i'm not?" lando questions, amused. before he can even say anything more your hands are gripping him harder and in turn that pulls him closer to you.
as it turns out lando isn't too keen on leaving tonight either and you both end up ordering a takeout and getting some snacks to have a cute night in with one another. it was exactly what you needed after this hell of a week. you didn't think you were even being demanding but lando always joked that this night was the most demanding he had ever seen you and he knew for a fact he loved it and wanted to see more of it. one thing lando loved more than anything was learning knew things about you.
♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ : w/c 1.7k. this was so fun to write actually. i'm shit at pacing that's why i haven't written a multi-part story yet so if it's bad don't tell me. also i’m too lazy to proofread these days.
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"i know it's totally normal in the world on formula one, but to me? i think it's crazy. i wouldn't be able to switch up my emotions and feelings like that with some of my closest friends." lando looks over at her from his chair, eyes awfully bright for what was what she considered one of their more heavier sessions.
lando didn't know how he had gotten himself into this situation... well he did, he was just so embarrassed about it! it's not like he would know that her pretty eyes and soothing voice would be just the thing he need to see and hear first thing on a monday morning - especially after a race weekend. it didn't even need to be a bad weekend for him to want to see her and talk you through the weekend from his point of view. when lando realised that, he realised that he fancied her.
forcing himself to zone back in, (he felt bad for always zoning out during sessions. she thought that his mind must've been a battle field but in reality he just couldn't concentrate with her around him, caring words flying around his head and making himself believe that she wasn't asking because it was her job but because her genuinely cared about his mental well-being.) his eyes jump back onto her figure sitting on the chair across from him.
"it's like you said, i'm used to it. we all are." lando shrugs, something he felt like he did a lot in these short ten minute sessions. it has her sighing again before jotting something down again in her little pink notebook.
"lando, i've told you before, you need to stop shugging things like this off. i can tell it bothers you so just tell me how it makes you feel." she tells the boy, a little annoyed but in a second any trace of it is gone and she's back to her usual upbeat self. lando's heart stutters at her words. simp.
"it is a little hard sometimes, but it comes with the job. you gotta be mentally strong to do this too." lando explains like to her like they haven't already had the exact same conversation a few sessions ago. all she does is nod her head, appreciating that he was trying to open up and let her in. before she could dig any deeper though, her timer went off, signalling that their ten minutes were up. lando groans. loudly.
"why're you annoyed? you hate talking about your feelings." she points out and it has the driver turning red and stuttering out some bullshit answer. if she hadn't noticed his little crush by now then lando thinks he might have to tell zak to find someone a little better.
★・・・・・・★
much to zak and oscar’s surprise lando had been attending the sessions weekly, arriving earlier than he ever had in his entire career at mclaren. this didn’t make much sense to them but who were they to judge? at least lando was finally talking about his feelings, regularly, to someone who could help him process them correctly.
oscar always went second every monday. he would watch as lando skipped out of the room, gracing him with one of those cheesy smiles that he was famous for. sometimes oscar forgot about lando’s hesitance the first day because there was no way she was this good to make him switch from being therapy’s number one hater to its biggest fan. she hadn’t even been here a month yet!
oscar was seeing the same girl and he, in the nicest way possible, did not think she was anything special. she was just a girl who tried to get to cold at steel drivers to talk about their emotions. easy enough right? oscar was starting to think that she had maybe coaxed this good attitude towards therapy out of him some way but his mind was quickly changed just before their third ever session with her. it was the most put together oscar had even seen lando on a monday morning, ever! it was like he was doing a paddock walk. that’s when oscar realised that maybe lando’s excitement towards these sessions wasn’t getting to talk about his feelings but maybe because he was talking to her. not to blow smoke up his own arse but oscar wasn’t stupid.
★・・・・・・★
the session after jeddah was particularly difficult for her. in her entire time with lando it hadn’t been too difficult to get him to speak out about how the previous race had gone but as they got further into the season, she noticed every time how it was a little bit harder each time to get him to open up to her.
“lando?” she says softly. they had been sitting in silence for half the session. this had been their worst one yet. she had no idea why this was hurting her so much, maybe she was just too empathetic and felt whatever pain lando had felt.
lando stays silent but looks up at her with so much hurt in his eyes it makes her avoid his gaze as for the first time with lando, she felt a little uncomfortable. it was literally her job to comfort people when they were struggling so why was this time so fucking difficult?
“the session is nearly finished.” is all she can say.
“right.” lando nods.
“i know this was a harder session today but i’m proud of you, you didn’t even need to show up and you did which shows so much progress from our first one.” her words were filled with a sincerity lando hadn’t heard in a long while.
“can i ask you for something?” lando asks. the most he’s spoken this session, she jumps at the opportunity to help him feel even the slightest bit better.
“of course, that’s what i’m here for.”
lando hesitates for. few beats before he’s standing up from his chair and walking towards hers.
“can i have a hug?”
she’s taken aback but she doesn’t let it show as she opens her arms without hesitation. this may be a little unprofessional but that was the last thing she was thinking of right now. if this what was going to make him feel better then she would hug him until her arms went numb. that’s not unprofessional though! it’s just because she wants to help all of her patients. she would do the same for oscar…
lando lets himself relax for the first time since saturday. he lets himself breathe in her perfume and what he thinks is some kind of flowery shampoo. the mix of the two makes him lightheaded in the best way possible.
“i’m sorry for not saying anything.” lando breaks the silence first.
“you don’t have to apologise. i’m here for you no matter what you want to do. i’ve already told you that we don’t even have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” she comforts, hand now running up and down his back in a soft trail of warmth.
“i do want to. it’s just.. hard to break habit i guess. and now we don’t have any time to.” lando confesses, her heart simultaneously bursting with pride and hurt.
“i’m sure oscar wouldn’t mind if we push his session back for this week.” she offers.
lando moves his head from on top of hers in surprise.
“really? you would do that for me?”
she doesn’t answer, instead heading to the door to ask the aussie sitting outside waiting for her. this is professional, all she wants is for lando to get his feelings out.
once lando rants and gets out every single thought and feeling he had over the weekend and she offers her best advice, she tells him something that she hopes sticks with him for the rest of the season.
“we both know that you are capable of this. you are a world class driver in an amazing car that we know you can drive i just don’t want your downfall to be your mind. it’s amazing but you let it hurt you too much. don't let your mind make you feel like you aren't worthy of this. you aren't just a stain on someone's kitchen floor, okay?"
lando only nods in understanding before standing from the chair again, you rise again to stand beside him. instead if asking this time, he just pulls you into another hug, this one feels tighter than the last but you don’t complain. no, you smile into it and weirdly repress the urge to press a kiss on his shoulder. okay, that’s not at all professional.
★・・・・・・★
later on, before the workday for her ends, she finds herself reaching for her notebook. she didn't write down everything he said, she would be there all day with the way he spoke to her these days. it was just things that she felt she would want to circle back on in later sessions, she did it with every client she has, oscar's notes sat a little emptier a divider away. but there was something different about lando's notes that she didn't even realise that she had done until she was reviewing after that session.
she flicks to the divider with his name on it and gets to today's notes.
likes to unwind after race by watching an adam sandler film.
okay, that's still on the professional side. nothing too wrong with that, it's good to have fun and easy ways to decompress, especially as an f1 driver, she tells herself.
doesn't like sushi.
that's... not professional but not weird to write down? she questions herself in her head. she remembers the conversation in her head and can't help the smile that creeps up onto her face at the memory. she should not be smiling right now but that small smile turns into a full on beaming grin as what she had wrote next.
smells like that one cologne from armani.
she can't even remember writing that. her smile drops in seconds, thinking that this was getting creepy. why had she written that? she was going to have to start paying more attention to what she was writing in her sessions with lando. she seemed like a fucking stalker.
she snaps the book shut and shoves it back in it's drawer. it's like this was the push she needed to get moving and get home. she gathers her stuff from her 'temporary' office and throws on her coat, it was getting warmer woking but not warm enough to forgo a jacket of some sort. as she was walking out to the car park she passed by the trophy cabinet and about a million pictures of lando smiling.
F1 Drivers on radio: You guys are ****ing ridiculous. This is bull****, I am sick and tired of all of you. This strategy is ****ing **** and I swear if this continues I'm going to ****ing crash this ****ing stupid *** ****ing car. I am this ****ing close to ****ing quitting. **** all of you.
F1 Drivers in Instagram posts: Not the best race today, disappointed with the results but we are steadily improving. Strategy was great and the pace was there, just need to get a bit more comfortable with the car and make some adjustments. Thanks to the team for your consistent effort. See you next weekend 🏁
╰┈➤ when the new season of drive to survive is released is sets a little seed of doubt in zak brown's mind and that just won't do. he knows lando can have that champions mentality, he just needs a little shove in the right direction.... good thing he's hired a sports therapist to do just that. don't worry though, oscar is seeing her too just in case lando caught on.
a setback:
╰┈➤ lando and oscar are introduced to their brand new spoorts therapist! let's see what a certain curly haired brunette has to say about it!
a stain on the kitchen floor:
╰┈➤ lando has gotten himself into some situations before but none of them have ever been as desperate as this one. and after the events of jeddah? yeah he's a mess, let's hope she picks up the pieces!
a train wreck:
╰┈➤ it's finally time for the italian grand prix! let's see how this goes when lando has a special guest along for the ride.
♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ : w/c 1.4k. i know i disappeared but college was kicking my ass for a bit. anyway this was inspired by dts cause it pissed me off!
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lando supposes the talk about him not having the 'right' mindset to be a world champion stemmed from his first win way back in miami last year but he thinks that zak really started to worry in the off-season after the end of the season. lando also knows that the stupid fucking netflix documentary didn't do him any favours in that department as basically everyone was agreeing with what he would call, haters.
so to say that lando had no clue what this meeting that zak had called just weeks before the first race of the 2025 season would be about was kind of a lie. he didn't know for sure, but word sure did spread fast around mtc. plus oscar had said that he overheard something along the lines of 'a therapist in the sporting department'. lando didn't even know that existed.
walking into that meeting room, lando knew that zak was plotting something. he's known zak long enough to know what his evil plotting face looks like and it was sitting plain, clear as day on his tanned, round face. and lando hated it. although that wasn't the only thing that let him know that something was up. oscar was sitting across from the ceo, the table stretching down the room. oscar was never early, hell he was never even on time! this set alarm bells off in lando's head before anyone had even notced he had opened the glass doors.
"lando! morning! how did you sleep!" zak greets him with his usual enthusiasm, getting up from his seat to pull him into a friendly hug. oscar greets his teammate and friend with a simple nod. lando reciprocates and sits down, after greeting zak with as much enthusiasm he can muster at this time of the morning on what was supposed to be his one and only full day off.
"so what was so important that you needed us to come in on our day off then?" lando doesn't waste anytime in asking zak the burning question after the pleasantries were out the way with.
"ah, yes! that.." zak starts, his voice trailing off, giving oscar a side glance. "well, as a team, we have decided that we want to start taking you guys'," he motions to the two boys in front of him, donned in their papaya shirts, "mental health as serious as we can. more serious than we have before with you guys, and previous drivers."
lando knew where this was going. knew what was coming next. they were going to be forced to therapy sessions every week to talk about their feelings about racing. it was just going to be the same shit he tells zak and the reporters after a race. "happy with the results from today, we pushed as hard as we could" or "obviously we are unhappy with how today's race ended but we gave all that we could today and it just clearly wasn't enough." he had said it all before - it was a waste of money really, to hire someone to do this for them. was it easy to tell that lando wasn't a fan of any kind of therapy?
"so to combat anything negative surrounding racing and racing with us, i have hired a sports therapist!" zak finishes, his voice raising at the end even though he could see the way lando's face falls as his thoughts are confirmed.
now all of that was two weeks ago and both mclaren drivers were stood outside of a random room inside of mtc that neither could say for sure that they had been in before.
"y'want me to go in first or d'you want to get it out the way with?" oscar asks a rather grumpy looking lando. oscar knows that he is only doing this so that lando doesn't feel like all of this was just for him and to better his mindset on track but he has a feeling that lando already knows that it is. oscar is not the kind of guy to take lando for a fool, not when he took the title of lando's longest driving partnership - he feels he knows him well enough by now to know his feelings.
"i'll go first."
before oscar can reply the door in front of them swings open and a young woman is standing behind it.
"hi! who's first?" she beams at both of the young drivers as she opens the door further to invite either of them in. instead of saying anything lando just stands up and walks inside the room, straight by the girl. if anything it was quite rude but to what oscar had seen she didn't seem too fussed about it. he did give her an apologetic smile but she just gave him another bright smile and followed lando into the room.
when lando walked into the room, it didn't look like it did in the movies. no big weird shaped couch, just a set of chairs in a room decorated just like the rest of the rooms in mtc. lando doesn't know why he thought it was going to be anything different. the boy sits down on one of the seats as she walks back into the room and closes the door behind her.
"hi," she greets him with her name as she sits across from him. "it's lovely to meet you, lando. zak gave me a brief rundown of what you guys are looking to get out of this but i'd just like to know from you." she says.
it takes everything in lando to not roll his eyes in annoyance. he knows it's not her fault but he can't help but get pissed off about all of this. this is the first time lando can remember that he was seriously pissed off at an aspect of his job. instead of sulking about it though, he puts on the fakest smile he's sure the girl has ever seen and responds, trying to keep the annoyance from his tone.
"don't know really, this was all zak's idea."
she nods her head in understanding, like she could read lando's mind and see all that hesitance he had towards therapy and talking about his feelings. maybe it was because talking about your feelings as a man was frowned upon or maybe it was because he was supposed to be strong as a racer and want to be an arsehole to all of his fellow drivers but all lando knew is that could not be further from what he was like.
"look, it doesn't take someone with a doctorate to know that you don't want to be here doing this," she starts, eyes still holding that same kindness that she had from when he had first saw them when she had opened the door.
lando feels his demeanour soften a touch at her constant kindness towards him, he's puzzled when he feels his heart beat a little harder in his chest because of it, too.
"and if you really don't want to talk to me about racing and how you think it affects you mentally, then you don't need to. i'm not forcing you to do something you don't think will work for you."
lando wants to let his jaw drop in shock. god, she's good. but there's no way she's come all this way to just offer not to do her job. surely, andrea and zak would be pissed to find out that he wasn't attending these sessions? if not at him then at her, for not making him stay.
"i don't really think it'll help me. zak hasn't said it but i know he's only hired you to try and get me that 'champions mindset' but i don't think that's me." lando explains a little, and without realising he had already opened up to the girl. just ten minutes before he had swore he wasn't going to tell her his age, never mind the one thing that has been keeping up at night recently.
of course she knew that she had already made the curly haired boy crack without even realising himself, she kept it to herself and dug just a tad deeper.
"well, do you think zak thinks you need this 'racing mindset to go on and win the championship?"
and just like that lando opens up again, answering every single one of her questions without hesitation and when the end of the twenty minutes was up, lando couldn't help but be surprised. he was only suppossed to stay for a few minutes to tell her that he would not be seeing her every monday morning.
so when she raises from her seat and heads towards the door, lando follows. she opens and lets lando out before letting oscar know that she was now ready for him but not without one last word to lando.
it was dark by the time oscar had made his way back to yours, the moonlight giving your living room a cold look in contrast to how oscar always seen it.
he never drops his bags at the door, nor does he flick his shoes off and nor care where they end up at the front door or worry who will trip over them when they come in next like he usually does with yours. he has no time to do any of that because you were two doors away. you were probably sleeping right now (oscar wouldn't blame you, he wishes he was doing the same) but that didn't matter because he was here. finally, he was here, in the same time-zone as you. fuck, you were both literally in the same house right now!
so, yes he does leave everything at his arse like he has no respect for you or your house at all. he'll move everything before you even open your eyes though because he does feel a little guilty.
tip-toeing through your house as not to wake you from your sleep - he eventually pushes your room door open to see the duvet cover a mess on the bed. the boy can't help but smile at the sight. he knows you are lost under those covers somewhere and he has never been more excited to find you.
continuing into your room he chucks his t-shirt to the ground (something he will also move in the morning, when it's impossibly more important than seeing your face) and moves back the lump of covers to find you curled up on his side, his pillow hugged to your chest, he even thinks that your wearing one of his jumpers but it's too dark to tell. he would bet on it though.
instead of following his original plan and waking you up to greet you, like you had asked him to, he instead decides to let you rest and admire your sleeping form curled up in the bed.
your usual teddy was abandoned in favour of the pillow but he knows how bad you'll feel in the morning for 'forgetting' him so he reaches over you to move him in between your arms as well before pressing one, two, three quick kisses to your forehead.
with what can only be called a lovesick grin, he settles into what is supposed to be your side of the bed and moves so that his chin is resting on your hair, breathing in your lovely shampoo every time he breaths in.
"missed you, baby." oscar whispers into your hair before pressing another kiss to it and finally letting his eyes slip closed.
just before he falls asleep he feels your body shift to accommodate the new body in the bed beside you, your lashes now coming to brush against his bare chest. the last thing oscar remembers thinking is 'can't believe i'm finally home.' while being a good few thousand miles from melbourne.
