caught in a bad dream
an F1 RPF Landoscar Omegaverse whump collection by papayabrain
For Whumptober 2025
No.10: ALT 13 Innocent Bystander
Summary: Lando and Oscar are in the wrong place at the wrong time and get caught up in a situation.
Rating: M
Word count: 1,995
Warnings: ⚠️ Violence, robbery, stabbing, and blood (but not our boys, hence the prompt)
Read on AO3 | or read below 👇🏼
~
Lando couldn’t sleep.
His heat had lasted four days, four whole days trapped inside this room, inside his nest, horny, sweaty, and exhausted. Oscar had taken the best care of him, don’t get him wrong, his alpha always made him feel like nothing else mattered when they were going at it like rabbits. But now his fever had broken and everything was over, he had an itch beneath his skin that was different to needing another round of sex.
The nest was fresh and clean, as were both of them after showers, Osc snoozing deeply beside him. Lando was desperate for some air, urgent to get moving around again after spending days locked inside their nest room.
He rolled over again, looking longingly at the curtained windows, warm streetlights the only source peeking around the edges. It was the middle of the night, he couldn’t sleep because he was uncomfortable, and the itch inside him grew as he imagined taking a stroll along the Brighton beachfront, Oscar’s hometown more familiar to him now after staying here for almost three weeks.
It was supposed to be two, and then his heat symptoms started.
“Babe?”
He flinched, having not expected his alpha to be conscious.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” he whispered, rolling back to face him as he stirred.
“What’s wrong?” Osc asked, a gentle hand stroking along his hip. “Can’t sleep?”
Lando shook his head, even if it couldn’t be seen. “I need to go for a walk. I know it’s the middle of the night, but I don’t feel right. It’s too cramped. I haven’t been out of here for days other than to use the bathroom.”
“Okay,” Osc reassured, placing his palm over Lando’s heart where he knew his alpha could feel how abnormal his heart was beating. Then his other hand came up to his forehead. “Your heat’s definitely gone, and you’re anxious. If you think a walk will help, I’ll come with you.”
Lando blinked. “What, now? We can go in the morning, I don’t wanna disturb anyone.”
“Lan, you’ve just spent the last four and a half days in heat. I think that ship's sailed,” he said dryly. “Besides, I’m taking care of you, and if you need a midnight walk to help you sleep, then who am I to stop you from doing that? I can still keep you safe.”
“Okay.”
Osc helped him out of the nest, only putting on the bedside light as they got dressed. Lando got his joggers and one of his alpha’s hoodies on, Oscar in jeans, a t-shirt and a light jacket. It was summer here in Australia, but it could still be on the milder side during the night.
Keeping the lamp on for when they came back, they used their phone torches to navigate through the house. Slipping on their shoes and Osc making sure he had his keys, they left the house as quietly as they could manage.
The cooler, open air was perfect, and he found himself taking deep breaths as they made their way down the road hand in hand. The Piastri pack house was barely four streets away from Brighton Beach, the skyscrapers of central Melbourne visible in the distant backdrop. Albert Park, where they would be racing in a few months, was somewhere in the middle.
They didn’t say anything, but they didn’t have to, as Lando was enjoying the quiet rumble of the city at night, his alpha beside him. The open space of the beach and ocean to their left as they strolled along sucked out the anxiety that had had him tossing and turning in the nest.
Feeling more settled, he let Oscar’s chocolate scent comfort him once again as he stopped at one of the railings between the beach and the road. Osc hugged him from behind, softly rumbling as his omega purred in gratitude.
The stars here were not the same as in Europe. Osc had taught him some before, but Lando couldn’t remember more than the Southern Cross constellation, as it was the one on his country's flag, but it wasn’t visible the way they were currently facing.
Tapping the hands around his waist, he turned to face him, his own at Osc’s hips to ground himself. His alpha brought his dainty fingers slowly up to face, one burying into his curls and the other cupping his jaw. Lando closed his eyes, taking another deep breath through his nose.
“Feeling better?”
Lando nodded with a tired smile. He could feel the fatigue settling into his bones now that they’d stopped. Hopefully, he’d drop right off to sleep once they got back.
“Your lips are all chapped,” Osc frowned, thumb running along his bottom lip. “I should’ve brought us some water.”
“Don’t worry about it, love,” Lando reassured, squeezing his waist to bring him closer for a quick kiss.
“There’s a milk bar around the corner that’s open till four. They’ll have some rehydration packs.”
“A milk bar?” he repeated incredulously as they started walking again, their fingers intertwining. Grimacing, he imagined a shop full of only milk, or like an American diner with milkshakes. He wasn’t sure how his stomach would take that.
“Yeah, like a mini grocery store. They’ll have sports drinks or at least some water and electrolyte sachets.”
“Oh, cool.”
“You thought of a shop that only sold milk, didn’t you?”
“Shut up,” Lando whined, shoulder bumping him. Oscar’s whole upper body leaned backwards as he giggled.
Sure enough, another two streets further and on the corner was a tiny shop with the words ‘Milk Bar’ emblazoned over the doors in bright neon light. Oscar led the way inside, a loud door chime announcing their presence.
“How’s it going?” the shop assistant called from the counter at the back. He was roughly their age, which surprised Lando, who’d been expecting someone older given the retro look of the place. It smelled like sweet fresh fruit and plants.
“Hey,” Osc greeted, Lando politely smiling with a wave and a nod.
Following him over to the left side of the shop, along the wall were three large fridges stocked with a wide selection of drinks. Fizzy sodas, water, fresh juice, sports drinks, energy drinks, and some milk-based drinks.
“Help yourself,” Osc gestured, and Lando scanned over the choices as the door chimed again, the shop assistant greeting whoever had walked in.
He had one hand on the handle of the nearest fridge when he heard it.
“Open the till. Gimme all the cash.”
The rough voice carried through the small store, and Lando froze, head snapping in its direction. Osc immediately wrapped a protective arm around him.
“Yeah, nah, man. It’s three am. Get out of it.”
“I said gimme the bucks! Now!” the intruder barked.
Lando flinched at the volume, Oscar dragging them quietly to the cold, tiled floor. Lando buried his head against his alpha’s chest, heart in his throat, biting down on his lip so he didn’t whine and give them away. He was shivering, shaking, and he realised he was rubbing his left wrist automatically.
“Fuck, okay, okay!” the cashier yelled, panicked, and Lando guessed the intruder had threatened him with a weapon.
Oscar was rubbing his back. Lando realised with horror that he could probably be smelled, a freshly post-heat, unmated (terrified) omega. Neither of them was wearing blockers.
There was a sharp ding that was different from the door chime, followed by the sound of a zipper opening.
“All of it, you fuckwit!”
“That’s all there is, mate! Look for yourself!”
A pause. A zip. A drawer banging shut.
A scream. A thud. Footsteps.
Lando screwed up his eyes, and Oscar kissed his head.
The door chime.
The door clicking shut.
Groans and expletives.
“Is he gone?” Lando whispered.
Osc lessened his tight grip. “Are you okay?”
Lando shook his head, bringing his head up to see tears in his alpha’s eyes. Sheer panic reflected in his chocolate irises that so perfectly matched his scent.
The shop assistant groaned loudly again, panting, and Lando scrambled up. They must have been wearing scent blockers, or they were a beta, because there was no sour note of distress in the air other than from the two of them. Oscar quickly manoeuvred Lando behind him as they crept back towards the back counter. He held on to his alpha’s hands for dear life as his legs shook.
“Hello?” Osc called out hesitantly.
“Fuck! Help! Please! Help me!”
Lando could smell it before they saw it. Thick, cloying, and metallic.
Blood.
Oscar stripped off his jacket as he crouched down beside the cashier. He was barely sitting up against the back wall, holding his stomach as he panted and writhed in pain. Lando could only stand frozen as Osc urged him flat on the floor and pressed his jacket against the wound.
“Lando, call triple zero, now!” he demanded, not as rough as the intruder, but firm enough to snap the omega out of it.
“Shit, yeah, course,” he said to himself, dialling and putting the phone on speaker in front of Osc because he didn’t know the address or any directions. He could navigate himself around easily enough, but he knew fuck all about specific street names.
He couldn’t stop staring at the mass of red soaking through Oscar’s jacket.
“What’s your name?” Oscar asked, his tone softer and reassuring. His warm chocolate scent swirled through the air, and Lando breathed a little deeper. He rubbed his wrist against his alpha’s neck and saw some tension release from his shoulders.
“Ryan.”
“Help’s on the way, okay, Ryan? You gotta stay awake, alright? We’re staying with you.”
“Thanks. Fuck, my grandad’s gonna be so pissed off.” His voice was cracked, and tears slipped down his face.
“Is there anyone we can call for you?” Lando asked, wanting to be useful. “To meet you at the hospital?”
“My mum? I only know her number off by heart.”
Lando rescued Osc’s phone from his jacket, given that his was still on triple zero. It was tricky, making sure pressure was still on the wound the whole time, and he ended up with some of Ryan’s blood on his hands. The warm, wet feel and the smell made him want to gag, but he swallowed it down as he opened the phone and dialled the number Ryan recited.
The paramedics arrived shortly after, and they took over, Lando and Oscar staying safely to the side as they had to retell what happened, his alpha hugging him tightly. They were both handed scent blockers and shock blankets, and Lando knew Oscar’s jacket was probably lost to them now as evidence.
“Lucky you two were here. Good job,” the female paramedic praised. “Cops will be here any minute.”
Ryan’s mum was still on the phone, and Lando handed the phone over so they could tell her which hospital they were taking her son to. Ryan begged them to find the keys behind the counter so they could lock the doors once he was gone. Oscar assured him they would try.
Lando found himself looking around the store for wipes so he and Oscar could clean their hands, only for Oscar to say they probably couldn’t yet, as they might get treated as suspects rather than witnesses until they could speak to the kid. It made Lando shiver and whine at the thought.
Ryan was taken away, and the ambulance had barely screeched away before the red and blue lights pulled up, and they were retracing their steps for the officers. Well, Oscar was the one speaking more than him, anxiety sky-high, and adrenaline still pumping through his system. Osc kept his arm around him at all times, which Lando appreciated.
So much for the midnight walk settling his restlessness.
Osc kissed his forehead as he unlocked his phone. “I’d better call Mum. We’re gonna be out of the house for a while.”
~
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