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The knock on Daniel’s hotel door was neither unexpected, nor really a knock.
It was still dark, both in the room and outside, though he suspected it wouldn’t be long until the sun rose. Daniel had only been half asleep; the highs and lows of the weekend had played on repeat through his mind until he had finally succumbed to a shallow slumber a few hours before.
Another knock - thump - on the door. This time accompanied by his name, mumbled. Daniel fumbled around the bedside table, knocking his phone onto the floor in search of the light switch. His mind was still a little fuzzy as he pulled back the thin sheet; the duvet lay abandoned at the foot of the bed, where Daniel had quickly kicked it off the night before. He didn’t mind heat, he was more than used to it, but this felt more humid than home.
“Daniel.” Louder this time, more insistent and prompted Daniel to hurry to the door. He didn’t need the entire hotel knowing he had someone showing up in the middle of the night.
Opening the door revealed two smiling, clearly intoxicated faces. Lando, shirt pasted to his body, had an arm slung around Max’s shoulder; an arm that Max was doing his best to untangle himself from. Lando beamed at Daniel, clearly unaware of Max’s efforts.
“Here,” Max said, steering Lando through the door and into Daniel’s arms. “He’s all yours now.” With a shit-eating grin and a wave, Max stumbled off down the corridor towards the lift. By the time he closed the door, Lando had already wrapped himself around Daniel, leaning heavily against the taller man. Daniel smiled.
“Good night, race winner?”
Face pressed to Daniel’s neck, Lando nodded. Daniel thought he could feel a grin.
“Party’s not over,” Lando replied, lips brushing Daniel’s skin as he struggled to correctly form the words. “Didn’t want you missing out.”
“Uh huh,” Daniel nodded minutely, steering them slowly towards the bed. Lando didn’t need much encouragement to sit on its edge, continuing to sway with whatever music had stuck with him from the club.
“Did you know,” he slurred, mind clearly still buzzing as he took Daniel’s hand, “that I won the race?” Lando gripped tightly, either for grounding or trying to make his point.
Daniel nodded patiently, kneeling to help Lando out of his shoes and socks, setting them aside.
“Like, I fucking won!”
Amused by the situation, Daniel stood to peel Lando’s shirt - clinging desperately to his skin thanks to a combination of what appeared to be sweat and alcohol - off. Lando had let his hair, his beloved curls grow out and Daniel loved it. Loved how pleased Lando was with them, too. Even when he looked like an absolute state.
Standing when prompted, and gripping Daniel’s shoulders for balance, Lando continued to let Daniel undress him, seemingly unaware and unhelpful. His trousers, in a similar state to the shirt, were trickier. Lando continued his celebratory discourse as Daniel tugged the offending trousers, and underwear, free: “Took far too long mate, but it finally happened. I knew it would, you know? Sometimes I wasn’t sure, but… No more Lando no fucking wins here.”
“Shhh.” Lando’s triumphant monologue had increased in volume, so Daniel put a finger gently on his lips. It seemed to bring Lando into focus, really bringing him into the room for the first time. Catching Daniel’s gaze settled Lando’s frenetic behaviour, finally quiet and unmoving.
“Hi.”
“Hey there.”
Daniel watched as Lando’s gaze moved over his features, seemingly intrigued, taking in expanses of skin he was more than familiar with. A cool draft from the air conditioning unit that had been running permanently since his arrival sent goosebumps over Daniel’s arms. Lando’s hands crept into his hair, fingers slowly teasing the curls out before rubbing the scalp beneath. Even drunk, Lando remembered what Daniel liked.
“You look beautiful,” Lando whispered before pulling Daniel in for a kiss. Bitterness of whatever beer Lando had consumed mixed with the sweet and spicy taste of tequila told part of the story of Lando’s night, and loosened his tongue. By his own admission, Lando had never been very good with words, or expressing himself. So when he did, whether through inebriation, joy or just general courage, Daniel knew it meant something. He treasured those words Lando felt exposed by. Despite a weekend of baking in the Florida sunshine and the remnants of a success well celebrated, Daniel slid his hands around Lando’s waist, stepping close so they were pressed together.
Daniel wasn’t sure he would ever get used to this, to Lando. He would deny it with his last breath, but being able to touch, to kiss Lando after so long of not doing so still made his stomach flip, his heart race just a little.
“You need to get some sleep,” Daniel chuckled as Lando groaned, rolling his eyes.
“But the party…”
“Is done for tonight, buddy bear.”
Tilting his head, Lando considered the suggestion, before sighing. “Fine. But,” stepping back and spreading his arms wide to make his point, “I’ve nothing to wear.” Tanned skin and toned muscles on show, any other time Daniel would have taken advantage of Lando’s predicament. He was proud of himself that, for once, he let his head take control.
“I’m sure I can find you something.” Daniel had already packed for his morning flight, so as Lando tried to negotiate the crumpled sheet on the bed, he picked his way carefully through the suitcase. In a pile to the side he set some underwear, a pair of jogging bottoms and an oversized Enchanté jumper he wore earlier in the weekend that he knew Lando liked. Those would do him in the morning. For now, he fetched boxers and a t-shirt.
Momentarily left to his own devices, Lando spotted the phone on the floor next to the bed, and clumsily reached over to collect it, almost falling off the side. Steadying himself and settling onto the pillows, he quickly typed in the passcode; the background revealed a photograph from Australia, from their time on Daniel’s farm during the winter break. In the foreground, a firepit they had used to keep themselves warm on more than one night beneath the stars as they alternated between random conversation and comfortable silence. In the distance, high in the sky, an almost-full moon watched over them as Lando - he still didn’t know how - had rested his head on Daniel’s shoulder and hopefully slid his hand into Daniel’s. Lando smiled at the memory.
“Do I want to know?” Daniel asked quietly, sitting next to Lando on the bed. Lando showed him the picture and Daniel returned his smile. Warmth - pleasant, this time - spread through him. Opening the camera app on Daniel’s phone, Lando spontaneously pulled Daniel to him, the older man’s head landing on Lando’s bare shoulder.
They were grinning like idiots in the first photo. Lando’s hair a total mess, his chest still flushed from his celebrations.
The second, third and fourth, pure joy and laughter.
In the fifth, Daniel was caught staring affectionately up at Lando as he adjusted his grip on the phone following a near miss.
The final image - the one Lando insisted he was going to use as his own background, though Daniel knew he wouldn’t - showed Daniel looking at the camera, content and smiling while Lando pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
“Right, give me that,” Daniel extracted the phone from Lando’s grip, to only the slightest complaint, placing it well out of Lando’s reach. In the brief moment it took Daniel to grab the few items of clothing he had chosen, Lando wriggled down the bed to wrap an arm around Daniel’s waist and hook a leg over Daniel’s.
“Aren’t you gonna…?”
Lando shook his head. With exhaustion finally creeping in, he lifted Daniel’s arm to wrap it around his shoulder, snuggling closer. Daniel rolled his eyes fondly; abandoning the clothes, he took the hint and wrapped both arms around Lando. Barely a minute or two later and Lando’s breathing evened out, his face relaxed.
It would only be an hour or two before his alarm went off, Daniel reckoned by the light beginning to sneak around the edges of the hotel curtains. Then they would have to go their separate ways again. He would happily trade all of his points from the sprint race for another day right where he was. Another day with Lando by his side, making him feel loved and at home. Another day with just the two of them.