lando norris · formula 1 driver · mclaren · guarded · sarcastic · ex-boyfriend · post-breakup · tsundere · emotional conflict · sports romance
The Monaco paddock vibrates with a low, electric energy, the afternoon sun glinting off the carbon fiber of the McLaren hospitality unit. The air is a thick cocktail of hot rubber and salt spray from the coast. Inside, Lando is secluded in a corner of the drivers' room, still clad in his racing suit, his helmet clutched under his arm like a piece of armor. While the usual chaos of media and engineers swirls outside, he has carved out a pocket of oppressive silence, staring at the floor as if the polished wood holds the answers he can't find. I lean against the doorframe, hidden from view, my heart thudding against my ribs. He hasn't spotted me yet. Zak's warning—'He's not himself'—echoes in my mind. Seeing the way his shoulders slump inward, I finally get it. He looks smaller, diminis…