⌞ the chain ⌝

⌞ twenty-six : double trouble ⌝

"You're my equal. We need to be on equal ground."

_

I walked back into the McLaren garage, and Lando was pacing. Part of me wanted to walk over to him and I had started to do it but Damon grabbed my arm. Not hard but enough to stop me. I looked back at him to see he was already shaking his head. Not my place. Not during the race week. 

"We've got to talk." 

I nodded and followed him over the corner in my garage. Damon pushed a seat at me, gesturing for me to sit as he grabbed the tablet. Jem had left me after the track walk, giving me his umbrella. We didn't talk during it, and I knew there was probably an alternative motive. Lando was the person I trusted and he said never to believe whatever Jem said. 

"What'd you learn on the track walk?" 

"Puddles in the turns which means slower spins, I don't want to plane." 

He nodded. "Good. Straights will be your best friend today. And remember it's just practice. Don't stress at times. Feel out the track as it's wet." 

"It's like morning runs." 

"Yeah..." He smiled as he looked up at me. "Just like morning laps." 

I grinned as he handed me the tablet to look at while he ruffled my hair. I hit his hand back, trying not to laugh. As I looked through the data, Damon was standing behind me to clear anything up, and some of my nerves left. Numbers didn't lie. And Damon would never lie to me. 

After we finished with that, I started to get ready for the practice laps. I was shaking and I couldn't tell if it was from the cold air or the nerves. But nothing I did was stopping it. 

"Yo, Lu." 

I looked up as I put my earplugs in to see Lando jogging across the garage to me. I set my helmet on the front of my car. 

"Lan?" 

"Jem goes hard into turn one, no matter what. He'll lose traction." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you telling me this?" 

"You'll beat me into the turn. And I don't want him getting cocky." 

"Alright then. See you on the flip side?" 

"See ya on the flip side." 

He brushed the side of his nose and I did the same, watching him run back across to his side. I took one last look out across the track, the rain still coming down in sheets. I took a breath as I pulled my helmet on. One run.

"Lu." I looked up as I slid in the car, Damon leaning down to bump my helmet. "Track." 

"Aye aye, capt." 

_ 

I had made it halfway through the practice laps. My hand gripped the wheel as the rain started to come down harder. I could feel my heart racing as I slowed to the turn. Lando was in front of me, Jem in front of him, George and Alex on my ass. They were closing the gap fast and yet, I couldn't care. 

"Lu, love. Sweet girl. You got to focus back in." 

"Are the pet names to piss me off or to make me listen to your drowning voice?" 

I heard a snort. "There she is. Feel like racing or are we just sitting pretty in the rain?" 

"If I say yes, will you shut up?" 

"Never. But you can put your foot on that pedal." 

"I thought you said track." I shook off the nerves, putting my focus back on Lando's tail light. Follow the leader style. 

"I've never known you to be one to listen, kid." 

"Not a kid." 

"Then start driving." 

I rolled my eyes and hit the radio button to shut him up. I knew he was only saying those things to piss me off. I raced better when I raced angry. Lewis said it was stupid to race angry but the world seemed to clear from me. Everything focused to only the track and that was it. Anger gave me a goal, a focus. And that's what I needed. 

I took a breath, relaxing my hands. Less than a few left and all I had to do was hold George and Alex off my ass. The rain wasn't anything I was scared of. I could hate it and I could wish for it to go away but there wasn't anything I needed to be scared of. The rain didn't change anything but drivers and drivers were predictable. 

Lando was pushing on Jem and I needed to back him up for that. 

"Yo, Damon. Get me, Norris." 

"On the radio?" 

"No, on the clock. Yes, on the radio." 

"Alright, Miss. Attitude." 

I waited a second until I heard the beep in my ear to tell me I was connected. "Yo, Lan." 

"Lu, what- wait, what?"

I couldn't help but snort. "You want Wright?" 

"More than anything." 

"Good. Feel like playing a game?" 

"Leapfrog?" 

"Leapfrog." 

I heard the radio disconnect and then the beep came back. "What are you two planning?"

"Just some leapfrog." 

"Lord have mercy on you two." 

I snorted as the radio kicked off and I saw Lando start to slow. I kicked around, watching as he got close enough for his DRS to engage. Wright could see me in his mirrors, I could tell by the way he started on his defense. But he didn't know my plan. Lando was cruising behind me, like a wolf ready for the hunt. I knew it and I could feel it. 

The turn was coming up. Lando was right. He was going into the turn hard and I watched him lock up. I took the turn a bit tight to get around him, dragging Lando with me and slingshotting him forward. He passed us both and I waved as he passed, watching as he swiped his nose. Laughter escaped me as I took into that second position, watching as Jem fell past the DRS. 

"Let's go!" 

"Smart move, Lu."

"Trust your girl from now on."

"I'll trust you once you cross that line in P2." 

"Watch it, Damon." 

He snorted and I focused back on the race. Five more laps to go and we would be done. I would be out of this rain and Lando would be there to celebrate with me. Not a race but it didn't matter. We were showing who we were. The McLaren dream team. Us. The team. We were winning this thing no matter what and we were going to help each other up this mountain. 

For the last few laps, I stayed in his DRS. I didn't need to push. Winning wasn't important to be right now. Lando needed the boost of getting around Jem and I was more than happy to give it to him. It wasn't playing nice, it wasn't team orders. It was true teamwork. He was there for me and I was there for him. One line to the next. Hand in hand. We were pushing. 

The line came and we made our way into the pit. I didn't care about the rain as I tugged my helmet off, catching Lando's hug, both of us laughing as we jumped up and down. 

"God, you gotta love leapfrog." 

"Next time, we're beating him for real." 

"Equal wins?" He held his hand out. 

"Equal gains." 

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a/n: look at that. she can play nice and learn from her parents mistake. my girl ain't playing brocedes, at least not yet. hehe. anyways, love lando and lu content. they're my C2. and you know how that goes. hehe. oh, you guys will hate me when it all falls down. love it or don't :p