Formula one sickfics/oneshots

Just what I needed

People: Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Jon Malvern

Ages: Lando Norris (19), Carlos Sainz (23), Jon Malvern (28)

Requested by: @aprilxoxo 

- POV Lando -

"How much sleep did you get last night?", Jon asked, a serious look on his face as his eyes scanned me, noticing the dark bags under my eyes and my pale face. "8 hours", I lied quickly. "Don't you dare. How long did you actually sleep?". Jon was usually always joking around, but he had a serious side as well. A serious side that rarely came out, unless I wasn't taking care of myself properly, it seemed. "4 hours", I admitted now. "Jesus Lando. Were you analyzing the data again until 3 A.M?". I sighed and just nodded as I rubbed my temples. There seemed to be a headache brewing, and I felt slightly nauseous, but I just brushed it off.

"Tonight, I'm going to send your boyfriend to sleep with you. That way I know you're at least sleeping". I chuckled at that. "I won't be working, that's for sure. Not so sure I'd be sleeping though". "God, please keep those details to yourself", Jon pulled a face and I just laughed. "Now come on, it's almost time to get in the car and we haven't done any stretching yet", he continued. "As long as I get a massage first". "Always. You know that". I just laid down on the massage table in only my fireproofs and Jon got to work, working out some knots in my muscles and then helping me stretch before the race.

Soon enough, Jon and I were standing under the shade of an umbrella, on the side of the track. We talked through some important points, and he forced me to do some reaction tests with 2 tennis balls. "Jon, we never do this". "No, but I don't want you to fall asleep behind the wheel, so I'm trying to get your body to stay active". I rolled my eyes, but I didn't have any time to protest, as I was told to get in the car. I sat there, waiting and eating an energy bar that Jon had almost forced down my throat.

Finally, about half an hour later, the lights went out and I sped away. Had I laughed at Jon's precautions earlier, I was certainly thankful for them now. My reactions seemed to be working fine until around lap 20, when the small discomfort I'd been dealing with earlier, turned into a pounding headache on the left side of my head. The sound of the engine was suddenly too overwhelming, and the dual smell of fuel and burned rubber made me almost physically sick. I cursed anytime Will talked to me over the radio, his voice sounding ten times louder than usual.

"Lando? Lando, do you copy?". I groaned as I knew I had to answer now, so I pressed the radio button with a trembling hand and spoke up. "Copy. Ahh, fuck me, man!". I didn't care what others thought of me anymore. I was in excruciating pain, and it was the only thing I could focus on right now. "Everything alright there, Lando? I'm not sure you meant to say that over the radio". "Yeah, it's...fuck...it's fine". I wanted to punch myself; I could not have been less convincing.

"Are you sure? It doesn't sound like it's fine". "Will, stop worrying. It's fine, promise". In reality, all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and lay in bed in Carlos's arms, but this was my job and I had to keep driving. I had to score points for the team. I had to finish this race on the podium so that the team had something to celebrate. I couldn't just give up now, all because of a headache. This sure as hell was an excruciatingly painful one, but that doesn't matter. I had to perform well, no matter what.

"Lando?". I felt confused, as this definitely wasn't Will's voice over my radio. "Lando, it's Jon. What's wrong?". "It hurts, Jon. It hurts so fucking much", I said, on the verge of tears from the unbearable pain I was in. "What hurts? Talk to me, Lando!". I had never heard Jon sound so worried. "My head", I groaned in pain. "Just come in. Everyone will understand". Despite how tempting it sounded, I knew I couldn't let the team down like that. "I can't, fucking hell". I was hit with another strong wave of pain. "Lando, buddy. Please just let me take care of you".

I mentally cursed at how Jon knew just what to say, for me to give into him, but right now, I was also so thankful for it. I drove into the pit lane and threw my head back the moment the car was stopped, sitting there with my head in my hands. Then, after the mechanics undid all the seatbelts, my helmet and the headrest, a pair of strong arms hooked under my armpits and pulled me out of the car. I looked at Jon, clueless on what to do. "I've got you. Let's get you to your room", he whispered. I really appreciated his whispered tone, as any loud noises worsened my headache.

As soon as we got to my driver room, Jon laid me down on the couch. "Listen, I'm gonna ask you some things, and I just need you to be honest with me". I looked up at him in exhaustion, but I knew this was necessary in order for him to be able to help me. "How bad is the headache, 1 to 10?". "8, it's terrible". I didn't miss the way Jon's face contorted into a worried frown. He put a hand to my forehead, but didn't say anything, so I assumed I didn't have a fever. "Any other symptoms?". "Everything's loud and overwhelming and I'm nauseous".

"Oh buddy, you got a nasty migraine, huh? You need to drink lots of water, I'm going to give you some medication as well, and I need you to tell me if you need anything else, alright?". I just shrugged and took the offered painkillers and water from Jon, downing them quickly. Jon sat down next to me and started running his hands through my hair, but at each stroke, it seemed he was pulling all the hair out. "Ahh, fuck", I cursed out loud. Jon immediately retracted his hands and shot me an apologetic glance. "I'm so sorry Lan, I didn't realize that would hurt".

I ignored him and just laid down, feeling utterly exhausted but in too much pain to fall asleep. Then, a pair of headphones was carefully placed over my ears. I was about to protest, knowing music or any other sounds would only make it worse, but I was greeted with silence, finally. I let my head fall back and closed my eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet. The pain was still very much there, but less prominent now.

Before long, the couch dipped in on the other side and someone was trying to pry my headphones from me, but I slapped the hand away without thinking. When I realized how rude I'd been, I mumbled. "Sorry Jon". The person seemed to chuckle, before I felt them grab my hand and rub soothing circles on it. I opened my eyes and was surprised to find not just Jon, but also my boyfriend Carlos in the room. I immediately scooted closer to Carlos and curled up in a ball in his arms. He lifted one side of my headphones for a second and whispered. "I'm here Cariño. It's okay, you're okay".

Carlos placed the headphones back over my ears and just pulled me close, but he didn't touch me too much. Jon had probably told him how sensitive I was to touch and advised him against it. It seemed that the migraine was finally dying down a bit, but everything was still overwhelming to me. Carlos's occasional soft shushing and the wet cloth Jon had placed in my neck were comforting and helped to ground me. Jon and Carlos were the only people I always went to with anything. They always seemed to know just what I needed. "Want to go back to the hotel?", Carlos asked, and I just hummed in agreement.

What I didn't expect though, was for Carlos to pick me up bridal style as he carried me to the car. We were already out to the world, so we didn't have to worry about being spotted like this. Jon followed behind us with both of our bags and he drove us to the hotel we were staying in. "Take care, Lan", Jon smiled. A slight hint of concern still shone in his eyes, but it seemed he trusted Carlos to take it from here.

Carlos carried me all the way up to our room and placed me down in the bathroom. I had a quick shower, trying to scrub off everything that had happened today and leave it behind. After my shower, I climbed into the king-sized bed, nuzzling my face into the crook of Carlos's neck. I smelled the lingering scent of his after-shave and cologne. This was the first smell today that didn't overwhelm me, rather, it calmed me down. "Goodnight cariño", Carlos whispered. "Goodnight baby", I whispered back. Moments later, I was already drifting off.

I had initially had other plans for tonight, but those could wait. I was happy, and that was all that mattered right now.