Chapter Text
His eyelids felt heavy as he groggily blinked awake with a weird haze settling in his head, making it difficult for him to think. He could tell it was already late in the morning by the light streaming into his room through the open curtains of the hotel room, his head whipping over to the clock on the wall so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.
*Shit*, he thought, looking at the time. He was supposed to meet with Jenson for breakfast about 5 minutes ago.
Nico scrambled out of bed, a wave of dizziness hitting him as soon as he stood up, forcing him to sit back down for a moment to gather his bearings. His head was pounding, every limb of his body felt sluggish and heavy. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand with a shaky hand, pushing it into the pocket of his sweatpants.
It felt as though the whole room was moving as he slowly stood up again, bracing his hand on the wall as he walked over to the bathroom, just as a precaution, of course. Nico was more than capable of walking unassisted, but it never hurt to be safe, right?
He held onto the sink with both hands to keep himself upright, his knuckles turning white from the sheer force of his grip. His eyes hesitantly moved up to look in the mirror, already dreading what he’d find when he did. Nico looked like a mess. His hair was sticking to his forehead and up in different directions, his eyes glazed over, a subtle tremble going through his body despite the rather warm weather.
He fished his phone out of his pocket, shooting Jenson a quick text about being late before stripping out of his clothes and stepping into the shower. He braced himself on the tile wall, nausea and dizziness welling up inside of him once again as he stood under the water stream. He quickly finished up, stepping out and drying himself off, pulling on a fresh pair of boxers before blow drying his hair.
He grabbed his phone before moving back to the room on wobbly legs, pulling his suit for the day on as quickly as he could. His vision went black for a moment as he made an attempt to put his shoes on, having to sit down in one of the nearby chairs to tie the laces. He pushed his keycard into his back pocket as he got up, grabbing his backpack and exiting the hotel room.
***
Jenson was already sitting at one of the breakfast tables, focused on his phone. He only noticed Nico’s presence when the German pulled back the chair opposite of him, letting himself fall onto the seat and placing a steaming cup in front of him. A grin spread across the Englishman’s face, a teasing glint to his eyes.
“Morning, Sunshine. How was your beauty sleep?” He said with his usual signature grin, fighting back a laugh. Nico grumbled something inaudible in return, a small tremor going through his body. It was only then that Jenson took a closer look at his friend, noticing the dark circles under his hazy eyes, the small shivers every now and then, the beads of sweat already forming on his forehead again, the way his skin was even more ghostly pale than usual.
“You okay, mate?” Jenson asked, his eyebrow burrowing, concern etched into his face and worry evident in his voice. He observed Nico carefully as he took a scarily long amount of time to process his question, which was very unlike the usually quick German.
“ ‘m fine, Jense. Don’t worry.” Nico mumbled in response, slowly sipping on his coffee. He looked like he was struggling to even keep his eyes open, though the Brit knew his friend well and knew he would refuse to acknowledge he was unwell.
“If you say so…” Jenson said, eyes drifting down to his plate, though a hint of concern and disbelief flickered across his face. He looked over at Nico, or rather the empty table in front of him, a questioning look on his face.
“Are you not gonna eat something?” He asked, one eyebrow raised as he looked at the blond man sitting across from him. The other's eyes found his, slightly widened. Even the thought of eating something right now made Nico want to throw up, nausea still bubbling up inside of him.
“I’m not really hungry yet, I’ll eat something at the track later.” He said, a small smile on his face, hoping he sounded convincing enough as he continued sipping on his coffee. Some of the tables around them started whispering, trying to subtly point at the door. Nico turned to the entrance of the breakfast room, his eyes widening a fraction.
Lewis stood there with Angela in tow, already clad in a stylish assortment of clothes, ready to make his way to the track. He looked… good. He was laughing at something Angela had said, his eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses, though Nico knew the corners of his gorgeous brown eyes were creased up. There was a healthy glow to his skin, and Nico noticed a new tattoo situated on his arm, though he couldn’t quite make out what it was.
A snort behind him brought him out of his thoughts, whirling back around to Jenson, his head spinning at the fast movement. He took a moment to regain his composure, feeling the heat radiate from his skin, unsure if it was due to the fever or the embarrassment as he looked at the smirk on his friend's face.
“Are you gonna keep ogling him any time he walks in a room or actually try to sort shit out? Because you look like a lost puppy every time he’s nearby with the heart eyes you throw at him.” Jenson teased, unable to stop the grin spreading across his face, a hint of a laugh in his voice.
“It’s not that simple,” Nico huffed, hiding his face in the mug as he took another sip of Coffee, “And I am not ogling him. Or throwing heart eyes at him or whatever.” He attempted a glare, though it came off more as a half hearted pout, causing Jenson to chuckle at his antics.
“Whatever you say, Britney, whatever you say…” He retorted, a huge grin still on his face. Nico threw him a glare at the nickname, finishing his coffee around the same time Jenson had finished his food, both standing up to return their dishes. A wave of dizziness crashed over Nico, swaying slightly as spots appeared in his vision. Jenson's hands moved to steady him, one of his own on the table to keep himself upright.
“Whoa, there. You sure you’re okay, Nico?” Jenson asked him, his brows furrowed. Nico was trying to blink the spots out of his vision, his breathing a touch heavier than normal, his brain trying to come up with a decent enough excuse.
“I’m fine, really. Just stood up too quickly.” He said, a small smile on his face. He sounded a bit breathless, retracting his hand from the table and standing up straight, beginning to walk away from Jenson and towards the dish tray, setting down the empty mug before moving towards the hotel's exit to make his way to the track, Jenson following close behind.
Meanwhile, a few tables over, brown eyes narrowed in on Nico as the man stood up, noticing the way his legs shook ever so slightly, the way he swayed as he tried to stay standing. Lewis frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he saw the state the German was in, his eyes flickering from Angela to the man and back.
“Are you done staring at him?” Angela asked, one of her eyebrows raised, her voice laced with amusement. She wasn’t oblivious to the presence of Jenson and Nico, noticing how Lewis’ eyes kept wandering to the blonde man despite his sunglasses.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lewis huffed quietly, his eyes moving down to the plate in front of him. He refused to admit he was worried about Nico, not after everything that happened between the two of them. Though he couldn’t stop himself from looking at him from the corner of his eyes, observing how he seemed unsteady on his normally strong and steady legs.
***
Nico scanned his pass, walking into the paddock and making his way to the media hospitality. He opened the door, a wave of cold air hitting him, making him shiver lightly. He walked over, setting his backpack down in its usual spot before walking over to the others, being dragged into conversation immediately.
Jenson walked in a few minutes after he did, his eyes immediately searching for Nico. He relaxed a bit when he saw him standing there, holding quiet conversation. He quickly set down his things before walking over to them, easily joining the conversation.
“You’re awfully quiet today, Nico. Everything alright?” Ted asked, a smile on his face as he regarded the pale German. Jenson’s eyebrows furrowed again, regarding Nico with a critical look. The German smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with sluggish hands.
“Yeah, sorry. Just didn’t sleep too well, that's all. You know how it is.” He chuckled, praying to whatever god or deity was out there that it was enough to convince the others. He couldn’t afford to miss a day of work. He had to do this right, had to be perfect. He couldn’t fail again, not like he did back when he was driving, he would let everyone down. He can’t let them down again.
Ted laughed lightly, a glint in his eyes. “Yeah, I know, I know. That explains you looking like a corpse, at least.” He said. Nico chuckled lightly in return, zoning out as the conversation went on around him. Nice save, he thought. Conversation went on until just before the start of the broadcast, everyone moving to their designated posts, waiting for lights out.
***
The race was phenomenal, ending with the top three of Max, Lewis and surprisingly the third step of the podium belonged to Kimi Antoinelli, quite an impressive result for the rookie. Nico got ready to step outside for the interviews before being pulled back by a hand on his shoulder.
He whirled around to be faced with Jenson, a look of worry on the brits face. “Nico, are you sure you’re okay to do the podium interviews? You really don’t look well, no one would blame you if you sat this one out. I’m worried about you.” He spoke quickly, knowing there wouldn't be much time, his voice was soft and practically dripping with concern.
Nico scoffed, his eyes narrowing slightly. “For the hundredth time Jenson, I’m fine. I can do this, stop treating me like a child.” the German said, pulling out of his grasp and turning around so fast that spots started dancing in his vision again, though he pushed through and continued walking.
He could hear Jenson call after him though paid him no mind, continuing to make his way to the interview spot. He luckily got there just before Max did, taking a split second to compose himself before smiling at the winner, congratulating him and asking questions. Nico could barely process the words he or the other said, his head hammering, a low ringing in his ears, though he somehow managed to finish the interview with the Red Bull driver despite himself, clapping him on the back with a smile before taking a shaky breath.
He saw Lewis walk up to him, forcing another smile onto his face. His vision was swimming and he felt dizzy, but he couldn’t let them down. Not again, not after everything. He took another deep breath, trying to sort his mind before beginning the interview.
“Lewis! What an incredible drive, P2 with a car that had a clear disadvantage at this track, how do you feel?” He asked, focusing all of his remaining attention on trying to keep his body still, feeling it sway slightly, more and more dark spots beginning to cloud his vision. He barely registered Lewis' response anymore, the words growing more and more distant in his mind as the ringing in his ears intensified. His knees buckled, his vision blurring before it turned to black as he landed in a heap on the floor.