𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 || 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰

three

It was undoubtedly one of the worst days of Lando's life.

He had seen victory right in front of him. He had earned every component of his standing, fought against many other boys older, taller, and stronger than himself, many by considerable margin. He had been at the top, eyeing that U10 European title. And it had been right in front of him, seeing as he had won the last race and scored maximal points. Now, all he knew he needed to achieve was a points finish and he would be guaranteed champion.

He didn't fight for second position. He knew that fighting those types of battles had not been the objective. He had qualified in such a spot that it should have been straightforward. Not easy, but straightforward, and should have been completed cleanly by any driver of Lando's caliber.

Inexperience had permeated, however, and the anxiety of winning, the fear of the unknown had been unbeatable for the British boy. He had spun off the track, his mind not even beginning to comprehend what had happened. The title was gone in a matter of seconds, and he was faced with the cruel reality of watching one of the cockiest boys in his division going to collect his champion's trophy.

That should have been Lando and everyone in the paddock knew it. His team attempted to comfort the boy in any way they could but it proved to be a heady task since the disappointment radiated across their body language as well.

It didn't help that the British boy had to watch Carlos walk down the paddock, someone who he was truly happy around only for Carlos to shut him out of his life all those months ago. Since then, Lando truly hadn't met someone with whom he felt so happy. He remained beyond shy, as if he was doing the wrong thing simply by speaking. And it wasn't Carlos' fault, he was forced to oblige by professional duty.

But that didn't mean he didn't see Lando sitting on a small step at the end of the paddock, head buried in his hands, his shoulders heaving as he visibly cried. And in that moment, Carlos decided, professional duties could step aside. Even if it hadn't been Lando, his personality bound him to ensuring the other person was suffering minimally. And especially that it was a boy who he genuinely cared about, well he found it incredibly hard to care about what the world thought of him in that moment.

Racing had concluded for the day. Carlos had a decent finish, in the points but regardless was out of contention for a U14 title. Technically, he had no legitimate reason to even still be at the paddock, racers had been dismissed and many had taken the opportunity to depart. But some lingered, the parents socialized and some of the boys created rules to team games, running around the main straight of the track yelling and keeled over in tears from laughing so hard. It may have been cold glares and on track battles throughout the race, but the camaraderie resumed immediately as they stepped away from their racing personas and returned to just being boys.

And while Lando would usually be one of the lead members of that group, today was different. He sat away from the commotion and out of sight, clearly craving room to breathe, but who would Carlos be if he saw the boy crying that intensely and not going to reassure him, to remind him who he was and what he truly was capable of.

He wordlessly took a seat next to the British boy, his arm going around Lando's back as he sought to provide comfort whilst not pushing the boy's currently restricted limits. Carlos knew from experience that the best comfort he could provide right now was simply company, a reminder to Lando that at the end of the day he did have his back. He might be obliged to maintain distance, but that didn't stop the Spanish boy from internally rooting for Lando every time the younger one stepped on track. He was right there with the other, silently celebrating his victories and in moments like these, he would never not be there for Lando regardless of the opinion of anyone else.

Their childhoods had become intricately weaved into the other's, it certainly seemed so considering how frequently their paths crossed. Lando's body trembled from the emotion flooding through his every vein, Carlos' grip subconsciously tightening on his back as if to say
"I'm not leaving until I know you're ok."