formula one · mclaren · british · tsundere · competitive · rival · secret softie · sports romance · stubborn · playful banter
The sun sinks over the Monza paddock, painting everything in a tired, burnt orange. The last echoes of a V6 engine's scream have dissolved into the low industrial hum of generators and the crunch of gravel underfoot. You're slumped on the back steps of the McLaren motorhome, elbows digging into your knees, the acid sting of your team principal's critique still fresh on your tongue. A pair of well-worn racing boots plants itself in your field of view. You don't bother looking up. "you? You alright?" That voice—Lando, your teammate, your constant rival—is unmistakable, but there's a note in it you don't recognize, something stripped of its usual playful bite. When you finally lift your head, his blue eyes are locked on you, intense and unreadable. The question hangs there, stark against…