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The sky was coloured in shades of lilac and blue, as the early rays of sun peaked through the slightly open curtains of Oscar's—unfortunately— east facing bedroom of his monaco apartment.
Oscar loved many things. Racing, food, and most importantly, sleep. He could sleep anywhere, at anytime. What he hated the most, was waking up early in the morning, before even the sun has properly risen. Even a passerby who saw oscar at the earliest of mornings could get a hint that Oscar hated mornings.
That's why he didn't think twice when his head felt uncharacteristically heavy as he looked for his phone on the bedside table to switch off the blaring alarm. He still doesn't get why he agreed for a morning run with Lando at 5:30 am right at the start of the summer break.
He can just go back to sleep. Lando would never know. He'll blame it on his alarm.
Just as he switches off his alarm to go back to sleep, diamonds by Rihanna starts playing from his phone and oscar jolts awake. Whoever put that as his ringtone needs to be fucking jailed.
"Hello?" Oscar picks up without looking at the caller ID
See, oscar is a deep sleeper, so his voice is usually sleep hoarse. That's why he doesn’t give it a second thought when his throat hurts, as if it's being scraped.
"Osc, please tell me you're up" Lando asks from the other end
See, Lando and him had made a pact while being very tipsy over some cheap wine they make believed as champagne after Canada. Lando hates cardio, oscar hates cardio. Cardio sucks in general. But their alcohol addled mind decided it would suck a lot less if they went on runs together.
"Yeah, um yeah I'm up" Oscar manages to say
His voice refusing to cooperate
"Osc, If you cancel our run for the third time in a week, I'll personally come into your bedroom to haul your ass up and into the running shoes. Get ready. I'll be there in 10" Lando threatens
Oscar replies with an affirming groan as the call hangs up. Yeah he is not made for mornings.
He sits up sluggishly. His whole body screams in protest. A shiver runs up his back and he is shuddering. He feels like he is freezing and buring up at the same time.
Getting up from the bed is a task. More difficult than usual. His legs feel like jelly and his head is swimming and he feels like going back to sleep again. But he promised Lando. He might've canceled on lando twice already, but there is nothing in the world that he wouldn't do for lando. If Lando asks to break open his ribcage and gouge his heart out, so he could feast, oscar would do so without second thought. Its heartbreakingly funny how Oscar's not-so-appropriate-for-only-a-friend feelings are not reciprocated at all.
He deludes himself into believing that between the shared drink nights between just both of them and laughing in PR challenges in front of the camera, maybe, Lando feels the same too.
He gets up from his bed to finally start getting ready. Though he needs the support of the wall just to get to his bathroom, the cold floor actually feels refreshing under his feet. The urge to go back and lay under the duvet is strong, but not strong enough to cancel on his teammate-with-whom-he-is-in-love-with and disappointing him.
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Oscar might be dense, but he isn't stupid enough to ignore the signs that he is most definitely sick. But he is stupid enough to deny it.
Oscar used almost half his energy to get up from the bed. He's not sure how he is going to complete a run.
By the time Oscar is ready in his training gear, he is exhausted. With a sheen layer of sweat on his body and he is shivering. His head aches and his vision swims. His body feels too heavy to hold up on his own. And he just wants to sleep. He is laying on his bed in a starfish position. Just resting his burning eyes, when he hears his doorbell ring.
With the effort of a 1000 horses, he gets up from the comfort of his bed to open the door.
There, on the other side of the cursed wooden piece, is the overly caffeinated gremlin of a human being.
"Ready for the run?" Lando asks. His voice isn't particularly loud but it still makes his head pound.
He's just happy to spend time with oscar during summer break, oscar doesn't have the heart to tell him that if he runs even 100 metres, he's going to passout.
"Mate you good?" Lando asks. His eyes were full of concern. It hurt oscar seeing Lando look at him like this.
"Yup sure. Let's do this" oscar replies as he locks his apartment door. His throat hurts as he speaks
"Are you sure? Mate you look like you can pass out any second" Lando's concern was even more evident now. His brows furrowed, which oscar thought looked so cute
"Yes mom I'm sure" he says playfully as he rolls his eyes. Lando swats him on his arm in return.
The lock clicks behind oscar as he locks his apartment door and follows Lando to the elevator.
The ache in his head has now radiated to his other parts of body and now he's just aching all over. All he wants to do is lie back down.
_________________
Their running route is simple. They are going to run the length of the street track for 3 Laps.
They start of normally with a jog. Lando talking about a video game he played with Max yesterday.
Oscar tries to speak, but his voice just won't work. But it's okay. It fits their dynamic. Lando talks and Oscar listens.
They increase their speed upto a fast jog. They haven't even properly started running yet but Oscar just can't anymore. His lungs burn. His legs feel like jelly. His head aches. He feels like passing out.
He halts near a street lamp. Holding on to it so he doesn't just collapse in the middle of monaco.
It doesn't take Lando long to notice that Oscar isn't by his side anymore.
"Shit, you okay?" Lando asks as he sees Oscar being practically out of it after 5 minutes.
"Yeah, 'm alright. Just need a minute" Oscar says in between deep breaths
Oscar's eyes are rimmed red and were on the verge of closing. He was definitely not alright
"Mate, you are burning up. You are anything but alright" Lando remarks as he places a hand on Oscar's arm to steady him.
"No no I promise 'm alright. Just need a few minutes. We can continue then" Oscar's breathing had still not returned back to normal.
"Alright my ass. We are going back to your apartment and you're gonna rest. We'll continue the run some other day" Lando says as he helps Oscar stand properly.
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With greater difficulty and sheer willpower from Oscar's side, they both reach Oscar's apartment. Lando deposits the now burning with fever Oscar on the couch. He gingerly removes Oscar's shoes for him to make him more comfortable.
"Do you want to stay on the couch or in your bed?" Lando asks
"Bed" Oscar's voice had gone weak
Lando practically carries oscar to his room as oscar is no help. Oscar looks 2 seconds away from passing out and Lando would prefer if he passed out on the bed instead of the hallway
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Oscar is half asleep when he gets tucked in by Lando. He looks so small and shivering. His swoop of wave is stuck to his damp forehead with sweat. Lando just wants to wrap him in a blanket and keep him in his pocket. Preferably in his chest pocket, close to his heart.
Ever since his rookie season, Lando has felt oddly protective of his younger teammate. He's always 4 seconds away from starting an argument with the people under any comments which hate on oscar. Lando feels too much, too fast. He doesn't want to burden oscar with his landoness.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he stalks out of the room and into the kitchen to make tea for oscar and look for the medicine. By now, lando knew the layout of Oscar's apartment like the back of his hand. Between shared game nights and heartfelt conversations, lando had memorized the way of a home, which was not his.
He gets the tea and some paracetamol to oscar, but oscar is already asleep.
"Oscar. Osc, I've got you some medicine and tea" Lando gentlely shook oscar awake
"Huh?"
"Tea and medicine osc. Come on sit up" Lando fluffs up the pillows on Oscar's bed to put them behind his back and helps him sit up slowly.
Oscar gratefully accepts the tea. The warm liquid soothing his throat. His eyes start to droop as the medicine kicks in. Lando takes back the empty cup of tea from Oscar's hands gingerly and keeps it back on the bedside table.
"Sleep okay? I'll be here if you need anything" Lando speaks softly, as he makes oscar lie down again and tucks a warm blanket around him.
It doesn't take Oscar long to slip into a dreamless sleep. Lando sits on the edge of the bed,gentlely toying with Oscar's hair. The strands felt as soft as he had imagined.
Lando tries to get up to place the empty tea mug in the dishwasher, when he finds out that Oscar has wrapped a hand around his wrist in his sleep, not letting him get up.
He smiles softly as he assess the situation. Oscar looked so soft and pliant while sleeping. The worry lines on his face smoothed out. Lando can watch him sleep forever. Run his hands through the soft hair. Write ballads—
Lando's phone rang loudly and oscar stirred slightly. He mutters a string of curses under his breath that would put a novice sailor to shame.
Lando picked up Max's call
"Hey mate where are you? Your apartment's locked"
"I'm at oscar's" Lando says softly so as to not wake oscar up.
"What's with the weird voice? You both trying to fuck without the neighbours knowing or what?"
"Max you can't say that!" Lando whisper yells at him. "Besides, Oscar's sick, he's sleeping. I don't want to wake him up"
"Oh my bad, tell him I said get well soon when he wakes up"
"sure will do" Lando says as he hangs up the call.
After a while, Lando too dozes off. Though it's an uncomfortable position, but he is next to oscar, so that makes up for all the strain in his neck and back.
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Oscar isn't sure how long be sleeps; but when he wakes up,he sees Lando is still by his side. He feels a warm gooey feeling inside his chest, like his heart is melting
Lando feels the bed shifting and he opens his eyes to see oscar has just started to wake up.
"Hi" Lando says softly as he eyes Oscar's eyes open up. He runs his fingers through Oscar's hair. He feels the fever has faded.
Lando's hands feel nice in Oscar's hair, he leans towards the touch like a cat. If it kept going like this, he's sure he might start purring like one too.
"Feeling better?" Lando asks as he keeps running his hand through Oscar's hair.
"Yeah" Oscar affirms. He closes his eyes one more, enjoying the comfort. "How long was I out?"
Lando checks his phone for the time.
"Approximately 4 hours"
Oscar hums in contentment. Feeling less like death now.
"Why are you sitting like a shrimp?" Oscar asks in a soft voice, because even after sleep and tea, his voice was still a little hoarse, although better than before.
Before Lando could reply, oscar spoke
"You can get on the bed properly. Its not made of lava and neither do I bite"
Oscar swore it was his sickness addled brain which wanted to add 'yet' to the offer he made.
Lando was about to reject the offer. He was really not sure how'd he keep his hands to himself if he was in the same bed as oscar
"Your neck will thank you" Oscar cut him off before he could even speak out.
Lando carefully climbed into the bed. He sat with his back pressed to the headboard of the bed.
They were laying close. Too close. Lando tried to shift away before he did something stupid,
He didn't let him move away. Oscar put his hand over Lando's, seeking physical contact for comfort. His skin was still feverish but a lot better than before.
After a few moments, lando broke the blanket of comfortable silence which had settled over them.
"If you were feeling like passing out why did you go on a run with me?"
Oscar's ears turned pink
"I didn't want to cancel on you again just because I wanted to sleep an hour more" Oscar says sheepishly.
"Hey, you don't have to knock on death's door to please me. You could've said that you were sick and I would've canceled the run, and be here instead. With you." Lando reassured. He gently pushed the lock of hair away from Oscar's forehead, all while cursing at himself for pulling this move.
"But you have been inviting me for a run since—"
"The run doesn't mean anything osc, I like to spend time with you. The run was just a way." Lando cuts him off. He is now completely running his hands through Oscar's hair, hoping he doesn't pull away.
Oscar leans into the touch, it feels nice. His eyes flutter close, as if he's about to fall asleep again, untill—
A splitting pain went through Oscar's head which makes him wince.
"Hey, you alright?" Lando's voice is dripping in concern
"Mhm" Oscar mumbles
"I'm gonna get you some medicine okay? I'll be right back" Lando whispers, having a hunch that Oscar does not want any loud noises around him right now.
He is back within a minute with some pain medication and a pack of crackers. He dims the light in the room and pulls the curtains close, even tighter
"Here osc, have some of these first" Lando puts the pack on the bedside table and helps him sit up
"Don't wanna" Oscar mumbles
"Well, you have to. You can't have pain medicine on an empty stomach. Please, just 2 crackers"
Lando somehow coaxs oscar into having the medicine and crackers
"Sleep some more okay? You'll feel better" Lando tucks the blanket over oscar properly.
He moves to go out of the room to let oscar sleep in peace, when he hears the soft words
"Lan? Stay?" Oscar says so softly its easy to miss.
"Ofcourse, I'll stay. Wasn't planning on leaving you" He can't help but smile a little.
He gets in the bed with oscar, his hand in Oscar's hair, soothing him
"Sleep, I'll be here when you wake up" Lando whispers as he places a kiss at the top of his head.
His breathing evens out soon enough
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Lando wakes up to soft brown hair tickling his neck. He looks down to see Oscar's head on his chest and their limbs being in a tangle. He smiles to himself.
Yup, he can definitely get used to it.