Chapter Text
Lando Norris was exhausted.
It had been a long and tiring day of racing, and what he wanted more than anything was to collapse onto his bed and fall asleep. He was so glad the third triple-header was finally over - nine races in eleven weeks is simply far too much, but Lando had no say in the matter. Anyway, it was all done now - he had an entire week off ahead of him, time to relax and play some games, maybe some golf could be nice too.
As Lando headed towards the McLaren hospitality, he took his usual 'secret route' - a little alleyway between the McLaren and Red Bull hospitalities that led to a quiet back door where no media would disturb him as he came in and out. He spotted a hunched figure sat against the wall of Red Bull, their hands covering their face and their knees tucked against their chest tightly. Cautiously, Lando approached the person, nervously checking behind him to see if anybody else was around.
"Hello?" asked Lando worriedly, trying not to let his voice squeak.
As Lando got closer, he could see a Red Bull cap slightly askew on top of their head. They were dressed in shorts and a tshirt, with some athletic trainers on. Lando cleared his throat and tried again.
"Hello?" repeated Lando, trying to sound a little more confident this time. The person looked up, and Lando felt his heart stop for a moment when he realised who he had just found.
He was looking into the eyes of Max Verstappen.
"Max?" asked Lando, immediately squatting down to Max's level.
"Hey," said Max quietly, his voice a little hoarse.
"Are you okay?" asked Lando.
It was a stupid question, really. Of course Max wasn't okay. His eyes looked slightly redder and puffier than usual, and he was clenching his fists tightly. Max grunted and took a shaky breath.
"Max, talk to me please," instructed Lando. "I think you're having a panic attack. Does this sound right?"
Max looked up at Lando again, and the Brit could see the fear in his eyes. He looked lost, like he was away somewhere else, exploring a different world.
"Would it be okay for me to touch your hands, Max?" asked Lando gently.
"Okay," choked out Max.
Lando very carefully reached his hand out, and gently placed it over the top of Max's clenched fist. He felt Max soften slightly at this touch. Slowly, Lando moved his hand so that he was able to unclench Max's fist. Now they were holding hands, realised Lando, and he felt a little embarrassed. But Max didn't seem to mind. In fact, Lando could've sworn he felt Max's thumb gently move across Lando's hand.
"I think it will help if you stretch your legs out a bit," suggested Lando, noticing Max's knees still pressed against his chest.
Max hesitated, then obeyed Lando. Lando was surprised: usually Max wouldn't listen to anybody. Max lay back against the wall, and exhaled yet another shaky breath.
"Lando, I can't make it stop," said Max, a note of panic in his voice.
"You're going to be absolutely fine, Max," said Lando confidently. "You're having a panic attack, that's all. It's going to be over soon."
"I'm scared," admitted Max quietly.
"It's okay to be scared Max," said Lando. "Focus on your breathing, okay?"
Lando quietly counted to five, instructing Max on when to breathe in and out. He felt Max's tight grip on his hand start to loosen, and heard his breaths becoming less shaky and more controlled.
"Fuck, that is better," admitted Max, letting out a sigh of relief. "You were right."
"How are you feeling now?" asked Lando, still worried for the Dutchman.
"Exhausted," replied Max. "Honestly, I am so tired now. And cold."
Lando had expected this answer - when he joined F1, he had suffered with frequent panic attacks. Luckily, Carlos had always been there to help him through them. Now Carlos was leaving, but that was okay. Lando felt much stronger now, he had lots of practice managing his anxiety, and knew that Carlos would still be around the paddock, even if his best friend wasn't dressed in papaya orange anymore. The Brit wordlessly pulled off his hoodie, a papaya McLaren team hoodie, and offered it to Max. Max hesitated for a moment, then took the hoodie, pulling it over his chest.
"Now then, shall we get out of his weird place?" said Lando gently, standing up.
"Don't leave me," protested Max. "I don't want you to go?"
"Do you want to spend the night with me then?" asked Lando, regretting the words the moment they came out of his mouth.
Of course Max was going to say no. Why would Max Verstappen want to spend a night with Lando? Max isn't even gay. Or at least, Lando didn't think he was. Even if he was, why would he ever be interested in Lando? Lando was undesirable, unwanted, unloveable-
"You know, I'd really like that," replied Max, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Oh. He said yes.
Lando reached his hands out and helped pull Max up. He opened up his phone and called an Uber. The car arrived and the two young drivers got in. Lando noticed Max's hand was resting on the seat between the two of them, and Lando very cautiously placed his hand on top of Max's, hoping it felt reassuring. He felt Max stiffen for a second, but then relax. Max glanced across at Lando, hoping the Brit wouldn't notice him looking, but Lando was already watching Max carefully, and the two met eyes. Lando smiled reassuringly and Max, and the Dutchman couldn't help but let out a little smile in exchange.
When they arrived at Lando's Hilton hotel, the Brit led Max up to his hotel room. Hearing the click as he opened the door, Lando held it open for Max to come through, and the two drivers put their backpacks down against the wall. Lando kicked his shoes off and sat on the bed. Max gently unlaced his shoes and placed them next to his backpack. Hesitantly, he joined Lando on the bed, sat next to him awkwardly, still wearing the papaya orange hoodie that looked very strange on Max, but also made him look undeniably cute.
"Thank you," said Max. "For today, I mean."
"It's not a problem," replied Lando honestly.
"How on earth did you know just what to do to help?" asked Max. "I have never experienced anything like that before."
Lando hesitated, then decided to be honest with Max.
"I used to have those panic attacks very frequently," admitted Lando. "It was a hard time in my life, if I'm honest."
"Oh," said Max quietly.
"But I'm a lot stronger now!" added Lando happily. "I'm really good at dealing with them because I've had loads of practice."
"Lando?" asked Max suddenly.
Lando looked across at the Dutchman.
"There is something I've wanted to do for a while now," admitted Max. "But I have been too much of a pussy to do it."
Lando said nothing, trying to figure out what Max meant.
"Can I kiss you?" asked Max quickly, before he had chance to stop himself.
Without even responding, Lando leaned towards Max. The Dutchman pulled the little Brit in, and the two boys hugged each other tight, Max's strong hands running through the curls of Lando's hair, and Lando's hands cupped around Max's face. They both waited for a second, taking each other in, savouring the moment.
And then, finally, their lips touched.