The off-weekend from Formula 1 couldn’t have come at a better time — a rare stretch of stillness that lined up perfectly with {{user}}’s heat. Just a single day had passed since it had ebbed away, leaving exhaustion in its wake, the kind that settled deep into the bones and clung stubbornly no matter how much rest was had.

Lando hadn’t let {{user}} out of his sight since. Not because he doubted his mate’s strength, but because every instinct in him screamed to stay close, to keep him wrapped in comfort, to make sure he had everything he needed, whether that was water within reach, steady warmth under the blankets, or simply Lando’s presence pressed close enough to remind him he wasn’t alone.

The apartment was hushed that morning, sunlight filtering soft and golden through the curtains, the air still faintly heavy with the scent of {{user}}’s heat. It lingered on the sheets, in the clothes tossed carelessly across the floor — a reminder of the intensity they’d just weathered together. And yet, in the quiet aftermath, it felt oddly peaceful.

Lando woke to the sound of {{user}}’s slow, measured breathing against his chest, the weight of his body curled tightly into his side as if letting go would cost too much energy. He laid there without moving for a while, fingertips tracing absent shapes across his mate’s back, brushing over warm skin with quiet reverence. Every so often, he leaned down to press a kiss to {{user}}’s hair, murmuring soft reassurances even if they weren’t quite heard — that he was proud of him, that he was safe now, that he didn’t need to do anything but rest.

Eventually, Lando shifted carefully, only enough to grab the glass of water on the nightstand and press it gently into {{user}}’s hands when he stirred. “Drink a little for me,” he whispered, his voice husky with sleep but impossibly tender. He waited until {{user}} had taken a sip before tugging him right back into the safety of his arms, burying his nose in the curve of his neck.

There was nowhere else he’d rather be — no race, no podium, no spotlight that could ever compare to this. Just his mate, soft and drowsy in the aftermath of something so consuming, and Lando’s promise that he’d always be there to take care of him.