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“Im okay” he shakes out, it’s barely above audible over the team radio before Tom is trying to process what's even happened fists hitting against the wheel.
“Lando back to the pits please. That's a red flag for Oscar, red flag for Oscar ” Will's voice runs through Tom's ears from the other side of the garage as he lets out his own sigh, the image of Oscar sat on a rock trackside imprinted in his mind.
He's hardly processed it himself before Lando is at his side barely realising his car was back in the garage next door “hey is um he okay” Tom can’t say he knows Lando as well as he does Oscar but the anxiety that falls in Lando's voice is more evident than ever “said he's okay mate, he’ll be back here soon you can stay with me” he forces out not letting his own anxiety show, the face Lando gave back evident with concern “did you see it” he knows a camera somewhere is going to find him and the next breaking headline will be that he is talking to Tom, but how much worse can the day get.
The moment Oscar is back in the garage he is surrounded by people, some wanting to take him off to be properly checked out, others wanting him to go do media interviews and then behind them all in the corridor just out of sight from the cameras he spots Lando and Tom, his vision slightly blurred from something between anger and upset, Lando's arms immediately catching hold of the younger as he dips into the space they are in “its okay” Lando says like Oscars just grazed his knee holding his face between his hands “Toms promised me he’ll get your head and neck checked out, I-“ he breaks off, the tap from Jon on his shoulder pulling him away from Oscar and back towards his car where the previous red flag had been removed and a restart time now available.
“You want a heat pack for that” Tom questions by the way Oscars hand rubs at his neck, something between exhaustion and his own anxieties settling on his face, he barely reacts to Tom's words “need to get you actually checked out and then the duties need completing” Tom pats him on the back leading the way to the medical facility where Artturi waits for them, aware Lando might actually have a fight with him if he didn’t.
It takes what feels like hours but is barely five minutes of being checked out before he's given the all clear with a recommendation to take some paracetamol, use a gel Tom tells him they will have back in the team medical room and Artturi assures him they have plenty of heat packs that he can use.
“Want a physio session after the media stuff” he says when Tom leaves them to return back to the garage to check the overall damage on Oscars car “I can’t promise I won’t fall asleep, but I want to see Lan first” Oscar jokes and it instantly lands better than he originally thought.
Media duties go by in a blur the same mess of questions that he honestly would rather not answer, he finds Landos eyes on him midway through and the pink blush that creeps across his cheeks is enough for anyone to notice but he continues his same composed answers. His hand running along his neck more than he realised it actually hurt a bit at the touch.
They fall into step together when they are eventually released from the media pen a silence didn’t dare to be broken until they were back together in the safety of their rooms “Artturi says he thinks i need my neck checked by him like a little massage or something if you maybe want to keep me company” its a question that barely needs answering, soft smile not quite matching the pain that settles in his eyes, as he slips out of his race suit finally and into some of his own comfy clothes, they feel like heaven on his slightly fragile body, Lando following soon after.
“Mind if i bring this one” he gestures to Lando when Artturi returns to Oscars room, he rolls his eyes playfully but the smile that falls across his face tells Oscar his easy answer.
“Your hands okay” Lando asks as Oscar gets comfy on the bed. It's a place he doesn’t really bother Artturi with focusing more on food and how his body can be ready but his touch on his neck feels like every great thing he's ever felt, the tension that’s building there in the words unspoken melts momentarily under the pressure of Autturi's own hands. He holds his hands out stretching his fingers a bit but not really feeling anything there.
It's only when he has to turn his head to the side his eyes meet Lando who has this concerned look painted all over his face, his own face scrunches slightly before offering a slight smile. It doesn't take too long before the whole massage of his neck is done, ibuprofen gel rubbed in and he's free to go “take care of him tonight I need him in best form tomorrow morning” Artturi jokes, saying their goodbyes before leaving.
They briefly return to their rooms to grab their bags and check in with when their transport will be there to collect them, it’s not really awkward they wouldn’t say but they are both very aware of the questions and concern that lingers between them, this desire to both talk about what happened but also just let the love they share consume them and take away everything from the race.
Eventually they settle into the car and for the first time that afternoon Lando takes Oscars hand into his own a gentle rub of his thumb has Oscar giving that shy smile that reminds Lando of when they first became official, a slight reminder it often follows up with tears, a moment that was so special to him unlike how they are in this moment.
Its Lando that buzzes them into the room mclaren has chosen for them, removing their shoes at the door Oscar heads straight for the sofa that has his favourite blanket led over it, he pulls it almost instinctively up to his face letting go of the media Oscar and falling back into the him that very few get to see, “you hungry” Lando says placing himself down on the arm of the sofa a soft hmm escaping Oscar and somehow Lando produces one of Oscars favourite ever bars, the ones they told him they could barely get anymore at track before sitting down with him.
They settle into a familiar silence the buzz outside so loud in Oscars head “you are doing that thing again” Lando breaks the quiet, Oscar turning to look at him “that look when your head is going so fast with thoughts, you are overthinking that crash aren't you” he questions as if he were inside his head I just keep thinking that if I didn’t crash then we would have both got the maximum laps in and you wouldn’t be sat at p7 having to mop up my mess once again…. like you didn’t deserve to qualify so low because of my crash-“ he rambles and Lando allows it, noticing the trails of tears staring to fall out “- you know there wasn’t even a proper reason for my crash I just cost the team a whole night of work and you the chances of a pole position and ugh its so stupid because you deserve better.. better in the race and better than this” he sobs, Lando knows not to push in moments when Oscars heads like this, the unspoken better than the spoken so he reaches his hand across and takes the one that's not bunched in soft blanket into his own, that reassuring touch.
“You need your bag” he questions after a few moments, the soft nod of Oscars is all Lando needs before hes rummaging through Oscars track bag, pulling free the pouch that hasn’t failed to ground him yet. Lando places himself on the floor, his own p7 aching in his chest but the sight before him hurting even more. He's used to his own spiraling, it feels like it comes as a package deal with him but seeing Oscar so broken is a rarity.
He helps Oscar open the pouch, immediately taking out the little koala teddy that Lando had brought to cheer him up in Australia, bringing it to the space between his nose and mouth and inhaling, the smell of home the safety and warmth their own little bubble, followed by his little turtle fidget that he popped open, thumb immediately hitting the spikes, Lando's hand sitting on his leg in an attempt to physically ground him.
He exhales slightly his breathing all kinds of irregular even by Lando's standard “hey let’s sort this out shall we” the softness in his voice is enough to force Oscar to open his eyes, they are red and glassy tears still spilling over the edges “im gonna count okay and you follow, put your hand on my chest if you need” Lando reassures, the same safe routine they follow when Lando is feeling these moments himself.
They follow that for a while, until Oscar is no longer gasping for air “proud of you” Lando says barely above a whisper, forcing Oscar to keep his eyes open enough to not slip into sleep, hes not letting him sleep like this.
“Hey” he says his voice barely above a whisper but Oscar forces his eyes back open “we need to go to bed before you fall asleep, sleepy, probably eat and you need to take those meds I promised Tom you would take” Lando offers out a hand to pull him up “bring those” he gestures to the blanket and the koala. Lando making a quick stop to order the room service, Jon mentioning some of the better items on there before heading to join Oscar in their bedroom.
They settle against the pillows in bed, dipping slightly into the mattress the team ships out for them, sleep being key in their performance, the room service sat spread between them, Oscar's favourite comfort food sits beside Lando's own and maybe just for a few moments they both feel like everything could be okay.
“Let me hold you” its more of a question than he had wanted but the way Oscar shifts pulling the blanket in a bundle close to his face and the koala wrapped in his arms with a slight nod confirms to Lando that he can wrap his own arms around Oscars body, not so fragile as hours earlier but enough exhaustion that he doesn’t want to argue.
They shift and settle and the weight of Lando's arm over his waist grounds him in more than one way, the way his hand finds its way to Oscar's chest moving with the steady flow of his breathing. “Didn’t get to tell you earlier but I love you” he breathes out beside Oscar.
Lando placed a kiss to the back of his neck before the weight next to him changes, heavier almost, the right sign that Oscar had fallen asleep, the soft noises that left his body replaced the pained ones he had earlier. Lando watched for a few moments wishing that every single moment that Oscar was asleep was filled with the most soft dreams that wrapped him in the remaining ways Lando couldn't. Eventually his own exhaustion hit in a crashing wave and he allowed his own body to be taken into sleep too.
Maybe today wasn’t their day but at the end of it all forever looked like each of them just like this, snuggled together in a world thats full of love and gentle moments.