Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
if anyone cares, i'm officially done with formula 1. I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE. I CAN'T. I CAN'T. THIS SPORT IS NOTHING BUT SUFFERING. OSCAR PIASTRI, PLEASE LET THAT P7 GO. WALK AWAY. FORGET IT EVER EXISTED. WHERE ARE MY WINS???? WHERE ARE MY PURPLE SECTORS????? WHERE ARE THEY????? i'm passing out
if anyone cares, i'm officially done with formula 1. I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE. I CAN'T. I CAN'T. THIS SPORT IS NOTHING BUT SUFFERING. OSCAR PIASTRI, PLEASE LET THAT P7 GO. WALK AWAY. FORGET IT EVER EXISTED. WHERE ARE MY WINS???? WHERE ARE MY PURPLE SECTORS????? WHERE ARE THEY????? i'm passing out
after spending a considerable amount of time dragging out one spectacular misunderstanding, dr. lando norris finally manages to ask out the woman he's been secretly falling in love with for months (not that it's a secret to anyone). everything that follows only proves he should've done it much, much sooner.
genre: romance, romantic comedy, fluff, fluff, fluff, they are hopelessly in love.
warnings: dangerously high sugar levels, advanced downbadism, one emotionally intelligent man (it took him a while), one emotionally intelligent woman, one emotionally secure five-year-old, an absolutely irresponsible amount of fluff (tooth rotting, really).
word count: 8.4k
a/n: part two is here already! that was quick, yay! i had so much fun writing this one. lando is such a hopeless idiot. it's probably not perfectly polished, so there might still be a few mistakes, but i did my best to edit everything in time for you all to read it! happy reading. enjoy 🧡
It was an ordinary day at Niki Lauda General Hospital.
Everything was running as it always did: people coming and going, a slightly overcrowded reception filled with every kind of personality imaginable — some impatient, some genuinely unwell, others perfectly healthy and simply looking for a medical certificate to justify missing work, and children clutching enormous tablets in their hands.
Some doctors were finishing their night shifts or overnight on-call duties, making their way out with slumped shoulders and slightly zombified expressions, while others, a little more well-rested, were just arriving.
The contrast was Dr. Norris.
Unlike the past few weeks, there he was again with his gap-toothed smile, the one that made him look like one of the children he treated in Pediatrics, his backpack bouncing against his back as he greeted anyone unfortunate enough to fall within the reach of his cheerful gaze, patients and staff alike.
Had the soul of the hospital returned?
He turned into the Pediatrics corridor just in time to hear Dr. Nico Hülkenberg, the night pediatrician, drawl out a long, sing-song "Gabrielaaaa," which could only mean he'd just run into his unofficially adopted protégé, the very same Gabriel who loved giving Lando a hard time.
"Glad to see you're having fun without me," Lando said, bumping fists with Nico before flashing Gabriel a wink.
"I wouldn't call it fun. This old man only had four patients all night. You should seriously consider making him stay longer," Gabriel said, nudging Nico's arm with the edge of his clipboard.
Nico raised both hands in surrender and shrugged.
"I'm just glad the kids aren't getting sick. That's hardly my fault," he replied, straightening up. He slipped off his lab coat, draped it over Lando's shoulder, and gave his other shoulder two friendly pats. "Cheers, boys. I'm heading home. You don't have wives, but I do. Thank God.”
Gabriel turned his back on them and headed down the corridor, muttering, "Poor woman..." over his shoulder and earning a middle finger from Nico, who was already on his way out. Lando let out an easy laugh before stepping into his office.
Backpack behind the chair, Nico's lab coat hanging up, his own slipped over his shoulders, and the day's patient charts collected from reception.
For a moment, he let out a long sigh, lowering his head to look at the white desk where he worked every day. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it, but when his gaze drifted to the phone resting on its surface and the screen lit up with a single notification that read, Can't wait for tonight, Lando smiled, suddenly thinking that everything ordinary about his life was actually pretty wonderful.
The day dragged on far more slowly than Lando would have liked. Why did his working hours suddenly feel four times longer than usual? Every time he glanced at the clock, it seemed to be showing the exact same minute as before, as though time had simply decided not to move. His mind was running far ahead of reality.
He let out a slow breath and ran a hand over his face, pushing his curls back until the front of his hair stuck up in every direction. Lando closed his eyes.
He could hold out a little longer.
His thoughts wandered.
Would you be wearing a dress? It would be the first time he'd ever seen you in one. Would you wear that strawberry-pink lip gloss that made your lips so distractingly beautiful? Would the perfume you wore on a night out be the same one you always wore to the hospital?
...
Lando smiled to himself and let his hand fall back to his side.
"Quinn, you can come in," he called, pulling the little girl's chart from the stack of paperwork. A moment later, Quinn walked into the office hand in hand with her mother, and he greeted them with the same gentle warmth he always did.
***
Lunchtime took a rather different turn. It was an unusual combination: Oscar, Max, and Maya Weug from Physiotherapy, all sitting at the same table, somehow managing to take their break at the same time. Lando was the last to arrive, wandering into the staff lounge looking completely lost in his own world.
Oscar and Maya were in the middle of a surprisingly heated debate, punctuated by laughter and the occasional sound of utter disbelief from Oscar as Maya enthusiastically recounted the spectacular argument she'd had with Doriane from Phlebotomy at the end of the previous year. Max, however, was detached enough from the conversation to notice something the other two hadn't.
Lando hadn't greeted anyone.
He opened the staff fridge, took out the lunch he'd brought from home, transferred it onto a plate, and slid it into the microwave. While it was heating up, he barely looked up from his phone, his thumbs flying across the screen as he typed a reply to someone, a quiet laugh escaping him every few seconds.
"Well, well. Dr. Norris from Pediatrics. What an honour to have you grace our humble staff lounge," Max teased, taking a bite of the cereal bar he'd decided counted as dessert, his eyes fixed on Lando.
Still completely absorbed in his phone, Lando blinked in surprise and looked up at Max as though he were seeing him for the first time all day. Behind him, the microwave beeped.
"Good afternoon, Max. Good afternoon, Oscar. And good afternoon, dear Maya," he said, finally retrieving his plate, grabbing his cutlery, and closing the microwave door.
There wasn't even a smile on his face as he walked over and took the empty seat. It was simply... his usual expression. Calm. Content.
Oscar and Maya greeted him in return.
"Hey, Lando."
"Hi, Doc. Long time no see. We were just talking about the whole thing with Doriane."
Lando raised an interested eyebrow as he cut himself a piece of chicken, and Maya immediately picked the story back up.
But Max knew.
He narrowed his eyes, took another bite of his cereal bar, and looked Lando straight in the face.
"You're seeing someone, aren't you?”
In the middle of a bite, Lando froze, his forearm resting on the table, fork suspended in mid-air as one eyebrow slowly lifted. He didn't answer straight away. Instead, a quiet little laugh escaped him as he speared a potato with his fork.
"You are?" Maya asked, immediately abandoning her own story, now far more interested in this new development.
"That's good," Oscar said, folding his arms across his chest. "After everything with Theo's mum... that's good."
Lando's smile grew just a little, though he made a noticeable effort not to give himself away. Reaching across the table, he grabbed the jug of juice, which, incidentally, wasn't even his, and poured himself a cup.
"Mm-hmm," he replied.
Max wasn't letting him off that easily.
"You're not going to tell us who she is?”
Lando simply shrugged, looking absolutely insufferable, and took his time taking a sip of his juice. He held Max's gaze the entire time, as though deliberately winding him up — or perhaps simply enjoying watching him get progressively more irritated.
"Not a chance," he said at last.
The table immediately erupted into a chorus of protests.
"No!"
"Come on!"
"I want to know!"
Lando just sat there, smiling like an idiot in the middle of the chaos he'd created.
The wait had been a long one, but well worth it.
By the time Lando finally stepped outside the hospital and filled his lungs with the cool early evening air, he knew good things were on the horizon (or perhaps he was simply confident enough to believe he knew exactly what he was doing). He typed out, On my way home now! I'll meet you outside your place in a couple of hours, added an excited little emoji to the end of the message, and hit send with a grin that matched it perfectly.
Yeah.
He had a good feeling about tonight.
And yes, alright, he looked good.
After spending a rather embarrassingly long time deciding whether to wear the outfit he'd planned in advance or go with a different one, he finally settled on the one he knew suited him best: a pair of trousers with the perfect fit that did wonderful things for his legs — not too tight, not too loose. A simple neutral top paired perfectly with the dark jacket he threw on over it, and he finished everything off with the most expensive cologne in his collection.
He briefly considered wearing his cap backwards...
No. Far too cheeky.
Just the hair.
Nice.
With that sorted, he could finally move on to the first step of the evening. You probably already know what that is.
STEP ONE: SAY "HI"
Lando pulled up outside your charming little house, one of the semi-detached homes tucked away in the south of the city, and parked far enough away that he could see you standing on the front steps.
The first thing he noticed was that… Yes. You were wearing a dress. And perhaps he ought to stop thinking he looked quite so handsome because, apparently, there was an entirely new definition of beautiful that had just been introduced to him.
Fuck me.
Your legs were on display. It wasn't a long dress. It was a lovely little thing, short enough to feel like summer, and just long enough for him to imagine things. Far too many things. And the lipstick… Dark. Lando let out a low groan and tipped his head back.
Right.
He stepped out of the car, wrapped in confidence. The cheeky backwards cap had never really been a plausible option, but the smug smile remained. It was subtle, barely there, as he made his way towards you at an unhurried pace.
You were distracted, fidgeting with your fingers as you stared down at your phone. Nervous. Lando let out a quiet laugh. You looked up. He lifted his eyebrows.
"Hi," he said, the single word carrying the unmistakable feeling of there you are.
"...Hi." the word slipped out before you swallowed hard.
Step one had been completed with absolute success.
"Can I say something?" Lando asked, his voice quieter now.
You blinked, stepped down the last stair, and suddenly he was completely surrounded by your perfume. Yes. It was the same one.
"You can," you replied, now standing right in front of him.
Clicking his tongue softly, Lando let his eyes wander over you from head to toe before slowly lifting one hand. He hesitated for the briefest moment, letting it hover near your waist in a silent request for permission.
A small smile found your lips.
He let out a quiet, amused breath through his nose before gently resting his hand there, with no intention beyond simply touching you. He didn't pull you any closer. He just left it there, completely captivated by the experience.
And you… You could barely breathe.
"Thank God you're not married," he murmured at last, the words sounding almost like a secret.
A laugh escaped you before you could stop it, so immediate that you clapped a hand over your mouth, embarrassed by the sound. Lando laughed too. He gently took your hand and lowered it from your face.
"Careful," he said. "Laughing at me is going to lead you down a very dangerous path."
He drew your arm a little closer and pressed a soft kiss to your wrist. Your eyes followed the movement, a shiver racing down your spine.
Oh, God.
"Is that so?" you asked as he finally laced his fingers with yours.
Another easy laugh escaped him. Lando seemed incapable of stopping. He was simply too happy.
"Well... it's a magician thing," he said, making one of your eyebrows arch.
"A magician thing..."
"Yeah. You laugh, and laugh, and laugh... and then, all of a sudden..." He paused dramatically. "Your clothes disappear."
This time you burst into laughter, loud enough to make you duck your head and hide your face against his shoulder. The very next second, you were telling him to shut up as the two of you walked towards the car, Lando coming out with one silly thing after another, as though to guarantee that this had been the best idea the two of you had ever had.
STEP TWO: BOAT TRIP UNDER THE STARS.
A lovely restaurant, a good bottle of wine, and a conversation that never seemed to run out. Somewhere between the middle and the end of the evening, Lando began to wonder whether he might actually be living in some strange alternate reality.
You caught him staring at you after taking another bite of your pasta, which made you reach for your napkin and dab at the corner of your mouth.
"What?"
Lando shook his head and took a sip of his wine. Before answering, he seemed to think about it for a moment.
"Nothing. It's just..." A soft, disbelieving laugh slipped out. "Us. Sitting here. After an entire year of... all of that. It just feels a bit..."
"Surreal?"
He considered the word for a second before giving a small nod.
"Yeah. I think that's it." He shrugged, tilting his head ever so slightly as he looked at you through his lashes. "I spent a very long time thinking this would never be a possibility." His smile softened. "And now you're here. Properly here.”
Your laugh was just as silly, filled with that same endearing warmth, and you leaned in ever so slightly. You were already sitting close together, but there was still room to move a little closer.
"Without white sterile walls and a line of little ones with runny noses?" you asked, gently lightening the mood.
His eyes dropped to yours, then briefly to your lips before finding your gaze again.
"Careful what you say about them," he replied. "I'm a proud defender of the little ones."
Your teeth caught your bottom lip as you smiled.
"I know. I've been watching it for months." You tilted your head. "It's adorable."
His hand came to rest lightly against your thigh, not claiming space, not demanding anything, but with the same quiet certainty it had carried when it had rested at your waist an hour earlier.
"I think we're getting a bit sidetracked here," he murmured, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I didn't come here to be adorable.”
"Then what did you come here for?"
"To impress you. Wasn't that obvious?"
"Impress me?" You let out a small, amused laugh. "It might actually be working."
"Is it?"
"It is."
"Good." A grin spread across his face. "Because I've got one more thing to show you."
With that, he leaned back slightly, his hand slipping away from your thigh, leaving the warmth of his touch lingering behind. He caught the waiter's attention, asked for the bill, and a minute later the evening had been paid for.
He stood, held out his hand to you, and smiled.
"Come on.”
The drive to the docks wasn't long, but it felt like an adventure.
Over the next five minutes, you kept trying to guess what Lando had planned, while he alternated between laughing at you and replying with, "No," "Nope," and "Not even close.”
That's when you heard the waves crashing against the rocks. You noticed the city lights gradually fading into the background, replaced by the lights lining the pier and the countless boats and yachts scattered across the bay — more than you had ever imagined you'd one day find yourself so close to.
Your eyes immediately found Lando's, full of questions, the obvious one already written all over your face. He simply shrugged, stepped out of the car, and walked around to your side.
"Lando, I didn't come wearing flip-flops, you know," you said with that quiet irony that carried the real question underneath.
"And I didn't bring my beach bag or sunscreen," he replied, flashing you such a smug little wink that you couldn't help rolling your eyes as he helped you out of the car.
Once you were both standing by the car, he cleared his throat, scratched his chin, and looked at you for a moment.
"Right..." he said at last. "I'm going to need you to close your eyes.”
Your shoulders slumped, and your eyes narrowed at him. You were suspicious, of course. Lando had been full of mysteries ever since the evening began.
"I'll close my eyes because Theo absolutely adores you," you said. He took your hand, waiting patiently for you to finish. "Which means you're trustworthy. He doesn't like just anyone."
You closed your eyes.
His fingers tightened gently around yours. Lando was smiling so broadly that, had your eyes been open, you would've seen it.
"That little boy has brought so many good things into my life that I honestly don't even know how big a birthday present I should get him. It's got to be something big."
Slowly, he began guiding you towards the pier. You let yourself switch off completely, trusting wherever he was taking you. So much so that you simply carried on with the conversation, a quiet laugh escaping you.
"Speaking of that..." you said. "His birthday's coming up." Another little laugh. "He says he wants it to be Hulk-themed, which I thought was a bit funny. He's only become obsessed with Hulk recently, and I didn't even think children still liked him that much.”
"You'd be surprised! There always seems to come a point where most little boys want to be Spider-Man or Hulk."
"Which one were you, then?"
"Hulk, obviously." He glanced down at his own arms. "Have you seen the size of my biceps?"
"Mm. Not yet."
Okay, you'd caught him off guard. Damn it. Lando was blushing.
"Good one," he said, biting his lip.
You laughed. Again.
For a moment, he didn't say anything else. Despite being obviously flustered, Lando was also far too busy making sure you didn't trip over a rock or stumble as the pier sloped upwards, which drew a brief little "Ooh!" from you as you felt the incline beneath your feet.
"I'm so curious. You won't give me a single clue!"
"Clues ruin surprises."
"How boring," you said, feigning complete disbelief. But you weren't finished yet. "When did you even plan all of this?"
Lando thought for a moment. He considered whether he should tell you. He was already blushing enough as it was...
"I..." He hesitated, giving your hand a slightly firmer squeeze. "I... just kept a list of places I'd always thought it'd be nice to take you."
Hang on. Was he really saying what you thought he was saying?
You stopped walking, forcing him to stop as well. He looked at you, just the slightest bit alarmed, blinking several times.
"What?" he asked. "Was that a bad thing?"
"If my eyes weren't closed," you said, "I'd kiss you right now."
...
His shoulders dropped with relief, every bit of tension melting away. It was gradually replaced by that familiar, teasing smile that was so unmistakably Lando.
"Well, if that's the only problem..." But you didn't let him finish.
Your hand lifted to his face, aiming for his mouth but missing completely and landing over his nose instead, making him laugh at your clumsiness.
"Surprise first. Kiss later." A tiny smile tugged at your lips. "And then... the biceps."
"My biceps interest you, do they?"
"Very much.”
Lando bit the inside of his cheek at that comment because, yes, you did have a way of making him look a little ridiculous.
He simply carried on towards the final destination. There wasn't much left for you to trip over now, so he guided you with ease. As you got closer, he exchanged a few words with someone, making your eyebrows lift with curiosity, then he helped you up a few more steps.
Everything was uncertain, but the waves crashed somewhere below, the sea breeze sent your hair dancing through the air, and… Everything was perfect.
"You can open your eyes now," he said.
And you did.
The moment your eyes opened, the sky stretched endlessly above you. Far from the city's artificial lights, the stars shone brighter than you'd ever seen them before. And there were so many. So many! Your lips parted in astonishment as you took a step forward onto the...
The boat?
You looked down at the wooden deck, then towards the cabin. A little further ahead sat one of those elegant cushioned lounges you'd spent your whole life seeing in magazines.
Then your eyes found him.
Lando Norris.
Standing a few steps away, his hands tucked into his pockets as he watched you. There was barely a smile on his lips, but it was unmistakable in his eyes. Lando always smiled with his eyes. They never lied.
You walked towards him. Slowly. You stopped in front of him and tucked your hands behind your back. He noticed the way your chest was rising and falling far too quickly, your breathing uneven despite your best efforts.
"What?" he asked softly, almost in a whisper.
There was no laughter now.
"I really need to kiss you.”
Lando nodded and closed the distance between you with one final step.
He lifted a hand, brushing the back of his fingers against your cheek, lingering there for a brief moment… Just a brief moment. Your eyes drifted shut once more as you leaned in ever so slightly, tilting your head up towards him. Lando's thumb brushed across your lips, then drifted down to your chin, tracing a gentle line beneath it.
It was almost as though he were testing the waters, making sure this moment was real.
Without the slightest hint of haste, Lando lowered his head and let his lips meet yours.
Oh. So this was what it felt like.
The sounds of nature faded away. There was no music in your mind, no cacophony of everyday thoughts. Lando couldn't remember work, appointments, or even the time when he hadn't been allowed to do this. A reality in which his lips never had the chance to find yours simply didn't make sense.
When you finally pulled apart, Lando was still looking into your eyes, and the sight of him stole the breath from your lungs. Even then, he continued to guide you, gently leading you over to the cushioned lounge at the bow of the boat.
He helped you sit down before… Before kneeling in front of you. You looked at him, your shoulders drawing in slightly, your lips parting in quiet surprise.
Lando pressed a kiss to one knee… Then the other. After that, his long fingers wrapped gently around your ankles as he slipped off your shoes, one at a time, slowly, as though they were something precious, setting them safely to one side. Then he straightened up, moved round beside you, and lay back, patting the empty space next to him for you to lie down as well.
Of course you did. Slowly. You could still feel the warmth of his kiss lingering on your lips, and the memory of his fingers burning softly against your skin. You were still getting used to this new kind of closeness.
Lying on your sides, your hair kept falling into your face until you tucked it behind your ear. You looked at Lando.
Your hand lifted to his face without a second thought, coming to rest against his cheek in a gentle caress. Just as instinctively, he covered it with his own, closing his eyes.
"So..." you whispered, your voice barely louder than the sea around you. "You really thought we could never have this?"
A slow smile spread across Lando's face, but he nodded.
"Yeah... I..." He let out a quiet breath. "I got it wrong."
"You could've just asked me."
"I know." He gave a tiny shrug. "I just thought it was obvious."
A little laugh escaped you.
"Marcus is going to lose his mind when he finds out."
"Everyone at the hospital will as well."
He opened his eyes to find you looking back at him, one eyebrow raised.
"The hospital already knows?"
"The people at the hospital are unbearable." He huffed a laugh. "Every time I turned up in a good mood, they kept winding me up, saying it must be one of Theo's appointment days."
"And were they right?"
He looked at you with the flattest expression imaginable before closing his eyes again and letting his hand drift to your waist.
"I'm not answering that."
You laughed again.
Another smile found his lips, and the hand resting against your waist finally drew you closer until your body settled comfortably against his.
"Hmm..." you murmured, letting your nose brush lightly against his. "What's this?"
"Me trying to make you laugh a little bit more," he whispered, leaving a soft kiss against your lips.
You smiled as you immediately stole another.
"Does that mean..."
He interrupted with a small nod.
"Yeah." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "But only if you want to."
"Laugh, laugh, laugh... clothes disappear..." you murmured, adopting an exaggeratedly thoughtful expression that made both of his eyebrows shoot upwards in encouragement.
The two of you burst into laughter again.
"I can tell it's starting to work," he said.
You cupped his face in your hand and drew him closer. With your lips brushing his, you whispered,
"Shhh."
Then you parted your lips ever so slightly and pulled him back into another kiss.
PART THREE: WOULD RATHER NOT SAY.
Yeah… I think that one's going to remain a secret.
It felt rather wonderful knowing Lando had been clever enough to plan the date for the day before his day off, which meant waking up exactly like this: with you beside him, your face still creased from the pillow and the faint imprint of something outlining your other cheek.
For a moment, he simply let himself be swept away by it. Was this really happening?
It was as though reality was only just beginning to catch up with him, slowly bringing back memories of the night before and everything that had happened since that fateful afternoon at the hospital, when he'd slipped his number onto the back of a contact card.
A quiet laugh escaped Lando. You nestled a little closer, still hopelessly sleepy. It was adorable.
"You should get a bit more sleep..." you murmured, your voice rough with sleep.
He brushed your hair back from your forehead before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head.
"You go back to sleep," he murmured in return. "I'm not going anywhere."
You gave a shake of your head.
"You work so hard every day. You need to rest."
A low chuckle escaped him as he continued to stroke your hair.
"I'm used to waking up at this time.”
There was no further argument, much as you would've liked there to be. There probably could've been one, but Lando decided that the sleepy grunt you let out before letting your head fall helplessly back onto the pillow didn't exactly count as a convincing argument.
That peaceful quiet lingered for a while before the two of you finally got up and found other ways to fill the day.
Breakfast. An attempt at lunch that somehow ended with a perfectly cooked omelette and the half-finished carton of orange juice already sitting in the fridge. Then came the rather astonishing discovery that Lando had an entire cupboard overflowing with board games.
What a nerd!
That was the afternoon.
You started with Hues and Cues, and after that came a card game Lando had learned on a trip to South America, one he spent the better part of half an hour trying to teach you before you eventually gave up because it was far too difficult. Then came Uno, followed by a game of Monopoly that never seemed to end. You laughed yourself silly every single time Lando landed in jail because it happened so often it genuinely felt like a curse. Poor thing.
At one point, your brother sent you a photo to let you know they were on their way home from their trip. You held your phone up for Lando to see, and he shuffled across the rug until he was sitting beside you, smiling at the picture.
"They always send me one photo when they're heading home," you said, "and another when they actually get there." Your eyes lifted to meet his. "So I know they made it back safely."
Of course Lando remembered the story you'd told him about Theo's mum and the accident. He gave a small nod, rested his chin on your shoulder, and looked back at the photo. Theo, Marcus and Marcus's new girlfriend, Sarah.
"Does Theo know?" he asked quietly.
You nodded.
"He does. He says his mummy is the brightest star in the sky." A small smile found your lips. "He came up with that himself."
Your voice caught just a little as you spoke, though the smile never disappeared. A gentle laugh escaped Lando.
"He's a clever little boy."
"He really is." You rested your head lightly against his. "Ever since everything happened, I've been helping both of them through it. Our family's in the next town over, so they can't come over all the time."
You smiled softly.
"It's just been the three of us."
"Five now," Lando corrected, pointing first at himself, then at Sarah.
Your smile only grew.
You locked your phone, set it down on the coffee table beside the board games, then suddenly launched yourself at him, sending Lando sprawling backwards onto the rug while you landed on top of him.
"You're..." you murmured. "Ugh."
Before he could even think about answering, you kissed him instead. Lando decided that was a much better response anyway.
When Marcus got back late that evening, he headed straight to your place. He had far too much to tell you about the trip, about Theo and Sarah getting on so well, and about how happy everything had made him. He hadn't even bothered texting first. You were always home.
When he rang the doorbell, though, there wasn't a trace of you.
Naturally, he frowned and pulled out his phone to call, just to make sure you were still alive. Maybe you'd fallen asleep. Or maybe... No. He wasn't even going to think about that.
You answered on the fifth ring.
"Marcus! Hi! Are you alright? Are you guys home already?" you asked immediately, your voice carrying that unmistakable hint of guilt he'd recognise anywhere.
His hand went to the back of his head, scratching absently.
"We are. Sorry I didn't send you a picture—I wanted it to be a surprise," he replied, knocking on the door again. "Can you let me in?"
Silence.
...
...
"Ah, well..." you began awkwardly. "I... I'm not home."
Hm? That was new.
"You're not home?" Marcus glanced at his watch, one eyebrow lifting. "Oh. That's alright. I can come back tomorrow."
With that, he turned and started walking down the steps.
"Sorry," you said. "So... how was the trip?"
A smile spread across his face almost instantly.
"It was great. I think I'd rather tell you all about it in person. Theo's been dying to tell you a few things."
"I've missed you both so much! We should go to the bakery."
"Definitely," he agreed, pressing the button to unlock the car. "Actually..." He paused for a second. "Do you want to tell me where you are?"
He heard you laugh on the other end of the line, and his hand stopped halfway to the car door.
"It's actually kind of a funny story," you said. He waited. "I'm at Lando's."
The first thing that crossed Marcus's mind was that Lando was definitely a man's name. He frowned. It wasn't jealousy. It was simply that, for a very long time, you'd never mentioned being at anyone else's house.
But… Lando? Lando? Where on earth had he heard that name before?
His eyes widened.
"Lando?!" he blurted out, actually leaning forward in disbelief.
Your laugh turned lighter, bubbling into something almost childlike.
"Bye, Marcus!"
"Hey, wait a sec—"
But you'd already hung up.
Shaking his head, rubbing a hand across his forehead, Marcus couldn't help smiling. At least now he knew one thing for certain: you were happy.
Theo's birthday came around three weeks later, and somewhere in the middle of it all, Lando received the invitation.
Not long after your first date, Theo's follow-up appointment to go over the results of his blood tests had been scheduled, and the two of you showed up together. This time, Marcus came as well, though at your request, he waited outside while you took Theo in.
That day proved especially difficult for Lando because he discovered he was perhaps the worst person in the world at keeping a secret (particularly one that made him smile so much his cheeks actually hurt).
The moment you stepped through the door and Theo came running towards him, he came dangerously close to melting on the spot.
"Uncle Lando, look!" Theo beamed, his voice carrying that wide-eyed excitement only children seemed capable of. "Daddy and Auntie said I could give this to you!"
Theo held out the brightly coloured invitation, and Lando took it. His eyes first skimmed over the details before settling on the little Hulk illustrations and, just beneath them, his own name, written in a wobbly handwriting that could only have belonged to the little boy himself.
Lando immediately crouched down to Theo's height, ruffled his hair, and opened his arms, pulling him into a warm hug.
"Of course I'll be there, mate. Thank you so much for inviting me." That only made Theo hug him even tighter.
"Auntie said you can come to all my birthdays now! And Christmas! And my school plays, and..."
Someone cleared their throat above them.
It was you, looking thoroughly embarrassed while Theo happily continued revealing every thought that crossed his mind.
"Theo, I think—" you began, hoping to stop the little speech that was steadily giving everything away.
Theo tried to interrupt you, but Lando's laugh came a little faster.
"I can't promise I'll make it to absolutely everything," he told Theo, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before standing back up. "But your auntie's right. I'll get to be there for some of those things now.”
"That's so cool!" Theo exclaimed, before carrying on with another million things he simply had to say as he wandered over to the chair where he always sat at the beginning of his appointments.
Lando looked up at you.
You were blushing, and just a little shyer than the woman he remembered. It was, without question, your most adorable version.
"So..." he said, a teasing little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You want me at all the family events now, hm?"
Your eyes met his before you clicked your tongue and made your way towards your usual chair, making absolutely sure he noticed the smile you were trying to hide.
God, it took every ounce of self-control he had not to kiss you right then and there.
The appointment carried on exactly as it should. Lando went over the blood test results with both of you (Theo was perfectly healthy) and reassured his little patient that, no, he wouldn't have to go through another blood test like that for a very long time.
He walked the two of you to the door once the appointment was over. Despite the slight awkwardness of meeting Marcus for the first time after the whole misunderstanding had finally been cleared up, the two men greeted each other with a firm handshake that told Lando everything he needed to know.
Before you left, you shot him a little wink.
Yeah. Lando really did have remarkable self-control.
On the day of the party, Lando found himself in a rather curious position. He wasn't arriving as a guest.
A few hours before everything was due to begin, you'd called him and asked, How are your lungs? I think we could use an extra pair to blow up some balloons. What do you think?
For a moment, he froze.
Was this... actually alright? Were they really at the stage of their relationship where he got to help set up a child's birthday party? Well... if you were asking… Lando decided to take the risk.
As he texted back to say yes, he was already searching for his backpack, the clothes he'd be wearing to the party, and everything else he might need. There probably wouldn't be time to come back home and get changed afterwards, would there? There were suddenly far too many things to think about all at once.
Less than fifteen minutes later, he was on his way to the venue, his heart beating just a little faster than usual. It didn't finally settle until he rang the doorbell and you opened the door.
You weren't dressed up. Not even close. You were wearing a pair of pyjama shorts, an old T-shirt, and your hair was piled into the messiest little bun imaginable. You looked absolutely incredible.
"Yay, you're here! Come on!" you said, greeting him with a quick peck on the lips.
It caught him slightly off guard before you slipped your fingers through his and tugged him inside.
Hm. Alright. Lando liked this. Very, very much. His stomach was doing somersaults.
Everything about that moment felt so familiar that Lando simply stopped overthinking and threw himself into it.
Theo was everywhere at once, kicking balloons, racing around the room, and letting out little growls to make it perfectly clear that he was, in fact, the Hulk. Lando even pretended to be frightened a few times, gently bopping him on the head with a balloon, which earned a laugh from you every single time.
Marcus was there too, hanging a banner across the wall, hammering something into place, and somehow alternating between blowing up balloons, being rescued by the Hulk, and putting up decorations. Between the three of them, they somehow managed to get everything done.
Sarah arrived about an hour later in the bakery's delivery van. The three of you went to help her unload everything, and it was the first time Lando was properly introduced to her, even though he already recognised her from the bakery.
What a bizarre coincidence.
Cakes, sweets, savoury party food... everything was finally in place.
Lando had never realised just how much work went into putting together a children's birthday party.
"Tired?" you asked, walking over to him and slipping your arms around his waist, resting your head against his chest.
A smile appeared on Lando's face almost instantly. He wrapped an arm around you and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead.
"A little," he admitted. "But it was really nice." He hugged you a little tighter. "Thanks for asking me to come."
You nodded, your smile growing.
"Thanks for coming," you replied, tilting your head back so you could look at him properly. "Come back to my place with me so we can get ready. Sound good?”
He had no reason to say no.
Lando leaned down to steal one more kiss, this time a soft peck against your lips, before letting you slip from his arms so the two of you could finally make yourselves presentable for the party, which was due to begin before long.
The party was an absolute success.
Lando even ran into two of his little patients, classmates of Theo's, who looked thoroughly confused to find Dr. Lando there. They accepted it surprisingly quickly, though, because the entertainer dressed as the Hulk had just arrived, and that was infinitely more exciting than anything else.
You took what felt like a million photos throughout the afternoon, including several of Lando almost dropping whipped cream onto his own clothes and ending up with a smear of it across his nose.
By the end of it all, the two of you were sitting side by side at one of the tables, your fingers intertwined beneath it, watching Sarah straighten Theo's outfit while Marcus looked at the two of them with absolute adoration.
Lando noticed you biting the inside of your cheek, as though you were trying to hold something back.
"What is it?" he asked quietly.
Your gaze dropped to the table, and a small, guilty laugh escaped you before you looked back at him.
"I don't know... I think it's..." You took a slow breath. "A mixture of things."
Your eyes drifted back to the little family in front of you.
"I love seeing Marcus and Theo this happy." A soft smile spread across your face. "Look at the way that giant's looking at Sarah."
Lando laughed under his breath, nodding in agreement. Marcus's love wasn't exactly subtle.
"But?" he prompted gently.
You swallowed.
"Ah... it's a bit silly." You smiled, already trying to defend yourself. "Don't think I'm always like this, because I'm really not."
He waited.
"Ever since Theo's mum passed away, I sort of... took some responsibilities onto myself." You glanced sideways at him. "That's why you thought what you thought."
The look you gave him carried just the slightest hint of teasing, even if every word was true. Lando closed his eyes for a brief moment, smiling to himself before giving a small nod.
"Fair enough."
"It was just the three of us, like I told you." Your voice softened. "And now..." You looked back at Marcus, Sarah, and Theo. "...now there's someone else to take care of them.”
Lando let his thumb slowly stroke the back of your hand, carefully weighing his words as he listened to everything you were saying.
"I know I'm not going to stop being important," you added. "But... my heart feels just a little bit heavier.”
He narrowed his eyes.
"You're jealous," he teased.
"Oh, shut up," you grumbled playfully, hiding your face in the crook of his neck.
The two of you shared a quiet laugh, and Lando pulled you a little closer, pressing a gentle kiss to your temple.
"It's silly. I told you," you murmured.
He shook his head.
"It's not silly at all," he said softly before continuing. "You lost someone important too. Not just Marcus and Theo. She was your family."
His thumb continued to stroke the back of your hand.
"Then you stepped into whatever spaces needed filling alongside your brother, doing everything you could to give Theo the best childhood possible in the middle of all that grief. You became such a strong, completely selfless source of support."
His voice softened even further.
"They're your family.”
For a moment, you looked up at him, but your eyes filled with tears so quickly that the only thing you could do was hide your face against him again. Your shoulders trembled. Lando knew you were crying, so he simply held you.
One minute passed. Then another.
By the time you finally calmed down and took a deep breath, he smiled to himself.
"Well..." he began. "Lucky for you, a ridiculously handsome doctor came along and rescued you from all that pain. Proper prince on a white horse, really."
Your sob turned, almost instantly, into laughter.
Lando laughed with you as he gently wiped away the tears from your cheeks, and before he knew it, you were pulling him impossibly close again. Somehow… Everything felt absolutely perfect.
"Where's this prince on a white horse, then?" you asked, doing nothing more than teasing him.
"Oi!" he protested, placing a dramatically offended hand against his chest.
Still laughing, still smiling far too much, you leaned in and captured his lips in the gentlest kiss imaginable.
"Dad! Sarah! Look! Uncle Lando loves Auntiiiiie!"
Theo's voice cut straight through the moment, followed immediately by Marcus bursting into shameless laughter and a thoroughly horrified Sarah.
The two of you didn't pull apart straight away. Instead, you kept your eyes closed, gently shaking your head.
"That boy really has a way with words..." you murmured, unable to stop yourself from smiling.
Lando laughed, carefully tucking a loose strand of your hair behind your ear.
"So proud of him..."
And that was exactly how the day came to an end.
A birthday party, family, one wonderfully mischievous little boy... and everything exactly as it should be.
It didn't take long for everyone at the hospital to find out either. They already knew Lando had been seeing someone, they just had no idea who she was. So when he showed up with you to the staff's happy hour the following week, Oscar looked at the two of you with one eyebrow raised while Max was the first to speak.
"Aren't you Theo's guardian?"
The two of you, being the pair of idiots you were, simply shrugged and burst into laughter.
"My God..." Oscar muttered, staring at Lando in disbelief. "And here I was thinking you'd finally moved on..."
Even so, he got to his feet, offered you his hand, and greeted you with a broad smile.
Lando, meanwhile, was desperately trying to warn both his friends — and, preferably, the rest of the table as well — not to embarrass him. George, naturally, ignored every silent plea.
"This bloke spent the entire year one step away from kissing the ground you walk on, you know."
"Oh, so you're the one!" Nico exclaimed, getting up to shake your hand. "I work the night shift in Paediatrics. You were basically a legend to me.”
You looked completely delighted, listening to all of them and joining in with the conversation while Lando's face grew redder by the second.
"Guys, come on... it wasn't exactly like that..." he tried to protest.
Gabriel cut him off, launching into the story of one particular day that… No. Lando didn't even want to hear it.
Another round of drinks arrived, the food you'd ordered was brought over, and at one point you excused yourself to use the bathroom leaving him alone in the lions' den. Everyone behaved themselves right up until you disappeared around the corner.
"She's Theo's aunt, by the way," Lando said to Max, fishing a little cheese bite from the sharing platter.
"Mate..." Max said, taking a sip of his beer. "That's actually unbelievable. How did this even happen?"
"Oh..." Lando smiled, shrugging as he took a sip of his bright orange drink. "My charm. You know how it is."
Oscar, who'd been listening the entire time, burst into laughter, while Max had to cover his face with one hand. Lando didn't even bother pretending not to laugh himself, though he wasn't about to offer any further explanation.
"What'd I miss?" you asked as you returned, slipping back into your seat.
"They were asking how we ended up together," he replied with an innocent shrug.
"You told them you thought my brother and I—"
His eyes went wide. Without a second's hesitation, he pressed his index finger gently against your lips.
"That secret stays between us. Shhh."
You laughed, taking his hand away from your face.
"Alright. I promise no one will ever find out about your little misunderstanding.”
The evening carried on, and like every moment the two of you shared, it became another one in a long line of precious memories. And, of course, it wasn't the last time you went out with his friends. Eventually, they became yours too.
You met Lando's family, who adored you from the very beginning and never once made you feel like an outsider. You became one of their girls, almost like another daughter, another sister. Soon enough, the two families were spending time together as well, and naturally, Cisca adored Theo as though he were her own grandson.
It took Lando two years of dating before he asked you to marry him.
By then, the two of you had already been living together for a year and a half — a decision some people thought you'd made a little too quickly, but one that had always felt completely right to both of you.
Now, with a well-earned holiday finally ahead of you, Lando had taken you to Italy.
At some point, during one of the countless nights you'd spent talking before falling asleep, you'd casually mentioned that it had always been your dream to go there.
He'd remembered.
And one ordinary evening, after coming home from work, he'd surprised you with two plane tickets waiting in his hands.
It was on one knee, upon the stone terrace of a hanging garden overlooking the Amalfi Coast, that Lando held up the little velvet box.
His speech went rather poorly. Not because he hadn't thought about what he wanted to say, but because he couldn't quite decide whether he was supposed to laugh or cry. For one long moment, you said nothing. You didn't jump. You didn't squeal. You simply froze.
Your chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths, and just before Lando had the chance to panic, you grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulled him up from the ground, and kissed him with an enthusiasm that was, admittedly, entirely inappropriate for such a peaceful place.
So what?
"Yes." A kiss. "Yes." Another kiss. "Yes!"
His heart impossibly full, Lando let out a disbelieving laugh as he gently slipped the ring onto your finger. Only then did the first tear slowly roll down your cheek, just as the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen spread across your face.
Despite how long it had taken… Despite everything that had come before… Despite one spectacular misunderstanding… Lando knew he wouldn't have traded any of it for the world.
His best friend. And now… For the rest of your lives.
"I'm going to be a wife now!" you said, your eyebrows shooting up as that tiny little detail suddenly occurred to you.
Lando let out a quiet groan and dropped his head onto your shoulder.
"To the right person this time," you murmured.
A smile spread across his face. Then his eyes drifted to the ring sparkling on your finger...
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
okay sorry for bothering but i just discovered your account and i am obssessed?? i LOVED follow-up appointment! i am trying to hold myself back from reading all the other works of yours because i don't wanna run out of things to read lol (e.g. caught in the moment bc am using all my will power to save it for a road trip and it is so hard😭) anyway i just wanted to say a quick thank you for all of the fics<33
you could never bother me, especially not with a message like this!! welcome to my little blog and my tiny community of silly little stories lol. i'm so happy you're enjoying your time here. i was going to tell you to binge everything if you wanted to, but the fact that you're trying to pace yourself so you don't run out of stories made me feel so incredibly special ❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹 (although... you're always welcome to reread them too 😛)
a few of my personal favorites if you want to explore the blog a little more:
p.s. as long as i live (kimi antonelli — a little bit of everything to lovers)
bloom (george russell — roommates to lovers)
when i'm gonna see you again? (oscar piastri — hookups to lovers)
the most recent one is follow-up appointment, but you've already read that one!!
and PLEASE come back and tell me what you think of caught in the moment once you get to it!!! i'd absolutely love to hear your thoughts ❤️🩹
This new lando series was the best thing I’ve ever read!!! Congrats it was reallyyyyy good <3 you are so talented
literally screaming with happiness right now, anon! you and your message mean so, so much to me. i love you!! part two is coming soon, so stay tuned 🫶🏼
guys, i know i'm still finding my rhythm again. i really just wanted to shake off the rust a little. hopefully, from here on out, the stories will only get better (i seriously can't wait to write part two of follow-up appointment)
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Hi! I love reading your stories :) Do you plan on posting something about Kimi soon? I like your stories about him and would love to read more (I've already read them all, yes 💔😭)
aaaaah, i'm really missing our boy kimi too! i don't know, anon... maybe soon? i'm trying to get back into the rhythm of writing and, most importantly, to enjoy what i'm creating again. but once i reopen requests, don't forget to send me an idea you'd love to see! 🤍
working in pediatrics means dr. lado norris spends his days looking after children, surviving on coffee, and pretending he isn't hopelessly distracted by the woman who always brings little theo to his appointments. too bad she's completely off-limits... at least, that's what he believes.
genre: romance, romantic comedy, fluff, slow burn, hospital au, mutual pining, slice of life.
warnings: second-hand embarrassment, mutual pining, one man fighting for his life against a misunderstanding of his own making, excessive coffee consumption, children being adorable, one doctor in desperate need of a nap, absolutely no communication skills.
word count: 10.9k
a/n: alright, everyone! i've been wanting to write this story for WEEKS, and i finally managed to get it down on paper. honestly, it could end here, and if you're a fan of standalones, i think it leaves off on a pretty satisfying note. but i really want to explore what happens next with these two idiots because there's still so much fun stuff waiting for them. i hope you enjoyed it, and i hope you'll stick around for part two! i love this version of lando so, so much.
i don't know much about hospitals (especially ones outside my own country), so let's all agree to suspend our disbelief and enjoy the ride. and yes, i know there were about a million easier ways for lando to figure out the truth, but please... let me have my dramatic reveal ☝🏻
It was a bright morning at Niki Lauda General Hospital, and Dr. Lando Norris had already arrived at the pediatric ward.
He walked with that unmistakable bounce in his shoulders, the kind of enthusiasm everyone in every department of the hospital knew belonged to him, and only him. Ella Lloyd, the nurse anesthetist coming from the vaccination unit, merely lifted a hand in greeting as she watched him walk past along the white corridor, its walls covered with every kind of cheerful drawing imaginable: rainbows, smiling frogs, enormous strawberries, and countless other illustrations that seemed to have absolutely nothing to do with one another.
His gap-toothed smile was visible even from the other end of the hallway, making the nurse raise an eyebrow before they finally went their separate ways. What a weirdo, she thought. Ella was always so serious, although Lando swore he had once seen her eyes well up when she had to give an injection to a three-year-old.
Lando opened the door to his office, set his folders down on the desk, and took the white lab coat embroidered with his name from the hook on the wall, slipping it on. His work uniform.
But there was still one thing he needed to do, and it couldn't wait. Coffee!
The best thing about Lauda Hospital was that the staff break room, where everyone could squeeze in a few precious minutes to drink their coffee, happened to be in one of the nicest spots in the entire building.
All things considered, it was a pretty great place to work.
Not only did Lando get to help people, but he also got to drink an excellent cup of coffee. That was saying something, coming from a guy who, before medical school and the long journey to becoming the doctor he was today, had genuinely believed energy drinks and caffeine patches were the best way to stay awake far beyond what the human body was ever meant to endure. At some point in life, you have to grow up, right? Apparently, that included accepting a certain amount of bitterness every day, preferably in the form of a steaming mug.
A silly little irony.
As the dark liquid streamed into the dinosaur mug Lando always kept in his office, he was already reaching for three sugar packets sitting at the corner of the counter.
Yeah, he really wasn't built for bitter things.
"Should we ask someone from General Medicine to check your blood sugar levels? I hope you're not actively trying to die," Max Verstappen said from behind him in the flat tone of someone who was still nowhere near the end of his shift.
He was holding a mug remarkably similar to the one Lando had in his hands now, except his didn't have a little triceratops printed on it with a speech bubble that read, You're awesome, Dr. Lando!
Lando let out a laugh.
"Mate, you look like you've been hit by a truck," he said, stepping aside so his colleague could use the coffee machine and setting his mug down on the counter beside it.
Lando tore open the sugar packets and emptied them into his mug one by one, completely ignoring Max's previous comment.
Max answered with nothing more than a grunt.
Lando smiled.
"You're way too happy," Max said, the complaint clear in his voice.
That only made Lando smile wider.
"Do cheerful people bother you that much?" the British doctor asked, finally bringing the mug to his lips.
The coffee settled warmly inside him, chasing away the last traces of sleep and making him feel ready to function. It was like pouring lubricant into a rusty machine and watching it finally sputter to life, ready to take on another long day at work.
"You specifically bother me," Max replied before taking a long sip of his coffee. Not a single gram of sugar. Lando pulled a face. "I think I have a theory."
Lando didn't answer. He simply raised an eyebrow over the rim of his mug as he took another sip.
"It's Theo's routine check-up today," Max said, wearing the smug tone of someone who knew he'd hit the mark.
Lando remained silent. He narrowed his eyes, finished the last of his coffee, and set the mug beneath the machine again.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Dr. Verstappen," he replied as he selected another cup of coffee.
Max let out an amused huff through his nose and leaned against the counter. The room, empty only moments ago, was slowly beginning to fill with nurses just arriving for their shifts and doctors from other departments. It really was a busy hospital.
"I just think it's funny, the way you get whenever she's about to come in."
"She?"
"The woman who brings Theo."
"She's his mother."
"She's pretty."
Lando met Max's gaze as he picked up his mug again. He had already taken two steps toward the door when Max called after him.
"Aren't you going to add your daily dose of diabetes to that one?"
His feet came to an immediate stop. With an exaggerated sigh, he turned around and walked back to grab his sugar packets.
Mornings and afternoons at the hospital weren't always this peaceful. As much as Lando genuinely loved his job, he knew it wasn't exactly the happiest place in the world. After all, nobody liked going to a hospital, let alone staying in one.
The wail of ambulance sirens always made him glance around the corridor, wondering if there was anything he could do to help, and the sound of stretchers rattling past on their way to the operating theatres or the ICU was never a pleasant reminder of why they were all there. Every member of that staff had to be incredibly strong. Lando himself had witnessed more tragedies than he ever cared to remember, but he also knew he worked in one of the hospital's more fortunate departments, and that thought stayed with him throughout the day.
When he stepped into the hallway with the patient charts in hand and called for Dolores West, he found himself wondering why a five-year-old girl had such an old-fashioned name. Then he spotted a short, chubby elderly woman holding hands with a timid little girl wearing her hair in two braids, a Frozen dress, and a matching pair of Crocs. Suddenly, it all made sense.
"Dolores?" he asked, looking at the little girl, who immediately ducked behind her grandmother's legs.
The elderly woman smiled, and Lando couldn't help laughing.
"We have the same name, you see?" she said, gently brushing a hand over her granddaughter's hair. "But what do you like to be called? Go on, tell the doctor."
The little girl looked down at the floor, blinking once... then twice. Lando crouched until he was at eye level with her.
"You don't have to call me Doctor, you know," he said, his voice warm. "You can just call me Lando."
She slowly lifted her head, eyeing him with quiet suspicion. After a hesitant nod, she carefully stepped out from behind her grandmother.
"I like it when people call me Lola..." she whispered, her tiny voice barely above a murmur.
Something in Lando's expression softened. He held out his hand. Lola looked at it, then at his face, and finally back at her grandmother, who gave her an encouraging nod. The little girl reached up with her tiny hand and wrapped it around his.
"It's nice to meet you, Lola," Lando said. "Shall we go inside? I think we've got a few things to talk about, don't you?"
The rest of the day unfolded much the same way. Children came and went. They laughed, they cried, or stubbornly refused to cooperate in that way only children could. Besides Lola, Lando had two new patients who had recently joined the hospital through their health insurance plan, and they took a little longer than his usual appointments.
One of them was Lucca, a four-year-old with shoulder-length hair. Lando ended up reaching for his emergency toy kit because the boy wouldn't stop crying, convinced the doctor was about to give him one of those enormous injections that hurt more than anything in the world. After a five-minute break during which Lando played Woody and Lucca insisted on being Buzz Lightyear, it was unanimously decided that the doctor was, in fact, trustworthy. After all, both of their names started with the letter L, and only cool people had names that began with L.
Children really were fascinating little creatures.
The rest of the appointment went by without a single problem.
Even so, for all his professionalism, Lando couldn't ignore the thin layer of anticipation that lingered at the back of his mind every time he glanced at the clock and realized it was getting closer to four o'clock in the afternoon.
Alone in his office five minutes after his last patient had left, Lando picked up the stack of patient charts on his desk, only to confirm what he already knew.
Wrong.
Wrong.
Wrong.
He'd promised himself this time would be different.
Get a grip, Lando Norris. For God's sake.
Right.
It was fine.
He would see Catherine first, the patient who had been transferred to his care after her longtime pediatrician retired. After that...
After that, it would be Theo's turn.
Then he would take a short break before handing the evening shift over to Nico, the night pediatrician.
"Catherine, you can come in," he called toward the half-open door.
The seventeen-year-old stepped inside with her mother. It would be one of her last appointments in pediatrics before turning eighteen in less than three months. Nothing was wrong. She had been born with a respiratory condition and still came in every now and then for routine follow-up appointments, just to make sure everything was progressing exactly as it should.
She was a lovely girl. Every visit inevitably turned into a conversation about tennis, with her mother occasionally chiming in, proudly insisting she was trying to keep up with the tournaments alongside her daughter. They were a wonderful family.
Lando was going to miss them when they finally moved on to the adult side of the hospital.
"Doctor, we have something for you," her mother said, reaching for the gift bag that had been resting beside her chair ever since they'd walked in.
Catherine stepped over to stand beside her, slipping her phone into her pocket before giving him a small smile and a nod.
"We know we still have three appointments left with you," her mother began, "but ever since Dr. Stella had to retire and you took over his patients, you've taken such wonderful care of my Catherine."
Her eyes glistened as she held the bag out toward him.
"We wish we could give you something more, but..."
Lando blinked once. Then again. His eyes moved from the two of them to the gift bag they were holding out, and after a brief hesitation, he slowly reached over to take it. Receiving gifts wasn't exactly uncommon, but he was certain it would never stop catching him off guard.
"Oh my God... you really didn't have to," he said, blinking quickly to keep his own tears at bay. Honestly, Lando was far more emotional than he probably needed to be. He cleared his throat and carefully peeked inside the bag.
A box of Belgian chocolates and a shirt, still neatly folded inside its box, though he could already tell it was a soft shade of light blue.
"If the shirt doesn't fit, you can always exchange it," Catherine's mother said.
A quiet laugh escaped Lando as his shoulders relaxed, almost as though he were surrendering.
"That's... incredibly kind of you." He looked between the two of them, still struggling to find the right words. "Honestly... thank you. Thank you so much."
For a moment, the warm glow of gratitude lingered in the room as the two of them left, so much that Lando completely forgot what was coming next. He carefully tucked the gift bag away inside his cabinet, the happy smile still lingering on his lips before turning around and realizing someone was already standing in the doorway.
His breath almost caught.
"Hi, Uncle Lando!" Theo called, his voice bright with excitement.
Ah. He simply couldn't resist.
A quiet laugh escaped Lando as he crouched down and opened his arms. Theo ran straight into them, giggling all the way before wrapping him in a tight hug.
"There you are, you little menace," Lando said with a grin.
"I told him you'd call us in a minute, but Theo wouldn't listen to me. You know what he's like."
There it was. That melodic voice Lando had been waiting to hear all day. Slowly, he lifted his eyes to find you closing the door behind you as you stepped into the room.
The smile resting on your lips wasn't a broad one, just a small, content curve that somehow made every other feature even more beautiful. Even your perfume filled the office, gently pushing away the sterile scent that seemed to cling to every corner of the hospital as though it were part of the building itself.
Lando was completely, utterly screwed.
"Oh... hi, you," he said, getting to his feet as he affectionately ruffled Theo's hair.
A soft laugh slipped past your lips before you lifted a hand in a small wave.
"Hi, you," you replied.
You walked over at an unhurried pace before gently guiding Theo toward one of the chairs across from Lando's desk.
Lando was already making his way back to his own chair, settling into the professional composure he was trying very, very hard to maintain. Mostly because he was trying very, very hard not to look at your face the way a compass needle always finds north.
"So..." Lando began, lowering his attention to Theo. "How have things been since your last appointment?"
"Hmmm... good," Theo answered with the effortless simplicity only children seemed capable of, somehow leaving out every important detail.
A quiet laugh escaped you.
No.
Lando hated that sound.
He nearly let out a groan.
"Love, Uncle Lando's asking about your health," you said with an amused smile. "Tell him what you told daddy yesterday on the way to school."
Theo nodded before looking back at Lando with complete sincerity.
Lando listened carefully, pretending the word daddy was nothing more than an inconvenient detail he could simply choose to ignore.
"Oh... my tummy really, really hurt..." Theo said, lifting his green T-shirt to point at his stomach. "Right here. I even cried."
The doctor leaned forward across the desk, his full attention now on what Theo was saying. A faint crease of concern appeared between his brows.
"Really?" Lando asked, his gaze lifting to you, hoping you could fill in the rest of the story.
You nodded, resting an arm along the back of Theo's chair.
"He didn't even go to school yesterday. We brought him into the Emergency Department. We asked if we could see you, but the receptionist told us you were out on a home visit and wouldn't be back until later. They gave him some medication, and he stayed home to rest. Thankfully, he seemed much better afterward. But since he already had an appointment today, we thought we'd keep it."
Your eyes drifted back to Theo, a fond little smile appearing on your face.
"He was so brave through all of it, wasn't he?"
Theo nodded enthusiastically several times, making Lando laugh.
"I'm sure you were," he said warmly. "But would it be alright if I had a look, just so we can figure out what's been going on?"
Theo was more than willing.
Before anyone could say another word, the little boy had already jumped down from his chair and was climbing up the small set of steps leading to the examination table.
The examination was quick, as it usually was with Theo, but somehow it always took longer because of the questions. "Uncle Lando, what's this called again?" The stethoscope. He never remembered. "Is it going to eat my heart?" No, Theo. It's just going to listen to your heart. It doesn't like the taste of hearts. "After this we're meeting my dad for ice cream, you know?" Oh, really? Wow, Theo, that's great. That's really great. Sounds like so much fun. Fantastic, even. "Uncle Lando, I wish you'd come have ice cream with us, but you're always so busy." I'd like to have ice cream with you too, Theo... but I can't.
And so it went.
When the two of them made their way back to the desk, you were patiently waiting with your legs crossed, absentmindedly scrolling through your phone. Theo was happily distracted by the strawberry lollipop he'd earned for being so brave, which gave Lando a moment to look at you.
It wasn't one of the most professional moments of his life, he had to admit.
Every little thing about you was so beautiful that he had to remind himself there was still a consultation to finish.
"Theo seems perfectly fine," he said, finally drawing your attention.
The little boy wandered over to you, proudly showing off his lollipop before promptly popping it back into his mouth.
"My guess is that it was something he ate, since I can't see anything concerning during the examination. Just to be on the safe side, though, I'd like him to have some blood work done. Bring the results with you at his next appointment, alright?"
Lando had already sat back down at his desk and started typing up his notes and the lab request when you spoke.
"When's the next appointment?"
The words came out much too quickly, as though your brain had stopped working for a second. The moment you realized what you'd said, your entire face turned bright red.
"No — sorry, that's not what I meant." You let out a small, embarrassed laugh. "I... I meant to ask whether your available appointments are usually very far out, or if, when I book it at reception, we'll be able to come back sooner."
Lando paused for a moment, partly because the printer was busy spitting out the lab request, but he would have stopped either way. Whenever you were around, his brain had an unfortunate habit of wandering off in unpredictable directions, twisting every little thing into exactly what it wanted to hear. It was downright treacherous, which was precisely why he had to stop every now and then, gather himself, and make sure he wasn't reading into things he had absolutely no business reading into. After all, you were a married woman. There was no chance you were flirting with him.
His brain wholeheartedly disagreed.
"Well..." Lando began, "since Theo's appointments are usually fairly straightforward, I can ask reception to schedule you around whatever works best for you. It'll mostly depend on when he's able to have the blood test done."
His attention dropped back to Theo, who was carefully throwing the lollipop stick into the bin.
"Can Daddy come next time?" Theo asked innocently, blinking up at you.
Lando pulled a face. Thankfully, he managed to hide it by turning to collect the paperwork.
"It'd be better if he didn't, Theo," you replied gently. "He'll be at work."
This time, Lando didn't react. He simply handed the papers over, and you accepted them with a grateful smile.
Together, you walked toward the door.
Lando crouched one last time to give Theo a hug before waving goodbye to you.
When you reached the end of the corridor, you turned back one last time and waved again.
"Now that is embarrassing."
Gabriel Bortoleto, the newest pediatric resident, was leaning against the wall two doors down. Like everyone else in the hospital, he had his own coffee mug in one hand and the other tucked into the pocket of his white coat. The grin on his face was the same one everyone seemed to wear whenever they watched Lando finish one of Theo's appointments.
"Oh, shut up," Lando muttered, shaking his head as he disappeared back into his office, leaving Gabriel's laughter echoing through the hallway.
Your brother was waiting for the two of you in the hospital car park by the time you finally came out after scheduling Theo's blood test for two days later. The moment the little boy realized what had actually been arranged, having spent most of his conversation with Dr. Norris happily distracted by his lollipop, the protests were immediate. As soon as he spotted Marcus waiting on the other side of the parking lot, he took off running.
"Daddy!" he cried. "Auntie says they're going to poke me with that horrible needle to take my blood! You promised that would never happen again!"
He threw his arms up, demanding to be picked up. Marcus scooped him into his arms without hesitation, a laugh already escaping him before he looked over at you, only to find you rolling your eyes.
"This little drama king knows perfectly well nobody ever promised him that," you said. "He's making things up now."
Even so, a smile found its way onto your lips as you walked past the two of them and opened the car door to buckle Theo into his car seat.
"But as compensation," you said, stepping aside so your brother could settle Theo into his seat, "I'm buying him ice cream."
As Marcus buckled him in, Theo shot a tiny fist into the air.
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"
The two of you burst into laughter.
"I definitely didn't teach him that," Marcus said as he finally closed the back door.
You shook your head, walking around to the passenger side before climbing into the car.
"Oh, I'm absolutely certain you did," you replied, your voice full of affection. "You're a terrible influence."
Marcus dropped into the driver's seat and started the engine before putting on his seatbelt. Immediately, a chorus of horrified voices erupted from both the front and the back of the car.
"Daddy! Your seatbelt! Oh my gosh!"
"Seriously, Marcus? Seatbelt!"
"Dad, put your seatbelt on!"
"Come on, Marcus! Seatbelt!"
Completely unfazed, Marcus let out a long sigh, silently gathering every ounce of patience he could find while you and Theo dissolved into laughter. You reached your hand over the back of your seat. Theo slapped it with an enthusiastic high-five. Only then did Marcus finally buckle up.
It didn't even take eight minutes after the car pulled away for Theo to fall completely asleep in his car seat, his head lolling forward and his mouth hanging slightly open. Marcus glanced at him through the rearview mirror, a knowing smile tugging at his lips before he turned his attention back to the road.
"Thanks for taking him while I finished up a few things at the office," he said as they stopped at a red light. "I know it was last minute."
You looked at him as though he'd just said something deeply offensive and simply shook your head.
"Oh, stop it. You know I adore the little guy. I always go with him to his appointments. And I'll always help you, too. That's what siblings are for, isn't it?"
"That and annoying each other."
"Annoying each other, definitely."
"Your specialty."
You nodded without a trace of shame, making him laugh.
The car started moving again, and Marcus continued, his voice slipping into that suspiciously casual tone that immediately put you on alert.
"So... how's Dr. Hot Stuff doing?" he asked.
"Oh, don't start." You lifted a hand to cut him off.
His grin only grew wider.
"Wasn't that his name?"
Your eyes drifted toward the ceiling, pretending you couldn't hear him.
"What was his name again?"
Idiot.
Complete idiot.
"You know his name."
"Do I?"
Your fingers came up to your forehead, as though measuring just how much of this you actually wanted to confess. Finally, with your eyes still squeezed shut, you let out a defeated sigh.
"I said, 'When's the next appointment?' Like a complete idiot." You groaned, shrinking a little more with every word as the moment replayed itself in painfully vivid detail. "I mean... everyone knows he's not the one who schedules follow-up appointments, and... oh my God. He's never going to look me in the eye again."
There was simply no way you'd actually done that.
No way.
Marcus pulled into a parking space outside the ice cream shop, wearing the kind of grimace that said he fully understood the magnitude of the situation.
"So... what did he say?" your brother asked.
Slowly, you looked over at him, your shoulders curling in even further.
"I tried to fix it. I told him I knew he wasn't the one who handled the appointments, and that I just wanted to know whether he'd have availability over the next few weeks or if we'd have to wait longer."
You paused.
"For Theo's health, you know?"
Marcus didn't even try to hold it together. His shoulders began shaking uncontrollably as he clapped a hand over his mouth in a hopeless attempt to stop himself from laughing.
"For Theo's health," he echoed solemnly.
"God, this is a disaster," you groaned, burying your face in both hands.
When Marcus finally reached over and gave your shoulder two sympathetic pats, you knew you were in far too deep for there to be any coming back from this.
"Marc?" you called through your fingers.
"Yeah?" he answered sympathetically.
"He's so handsome..."
That was the end of it. With a defeated groan, your brother climbed out of the car to finally wake Theo. He was laughing, though, because you are such an idiot.
The first time Lando saw you wasn't anything extraordinary. In fact, it was a day very much like this one. Ordinary. Just another clinic day at Niki Lauda General Hospital, somewhere in the middle of a partially booked schedule after countless other appointments.
Maybe you were wearing that burgundy sweater that somehow made your hair look even prettier. No. Not maybe. He knew for a fact that was what you were wearing.
The memory had stayed with him because you'd worn it several times since, and every single time he found himself thinking, strangely enough, that you looked even more beautiful than the time before. Not that he'd ever said so. He couldn't. Lando would never cross that line with a woman who, in every practical sense, was part of his day-to-day clinical practice. That would be unethical, wouldn't it?
None of that stopped him from finding you beautiful. Not just for the obvious reasons, either. For all the less obvious ones he could never quite find the words to name.
On one of those afternoons, he couldn't seem to get his signature right on a prescription. And you noticed. Of course you noticed. What didn't you notice, anyway?
"Everything alright over there, Dr. Lando?" you asked.
That was all it took for his brain to stop functioning. Utterly pathetic. It wasn't flirting. It wasn't a pickup line. It was just… A sentence. A sentence directed at him that had nothing to do with work. Nothing to do with Theo.
"Mm-hmm," was all he managed, the smile spreading across his face less as an involuntary reaction than as a shield.
Even now, months and months after the first time you'd walked into his office with the little boy by your side, Lando still didn't have an answer for any of it. What he did know was that most of the hospital seemed to have a fairly good idea of what was going on inside his head. And, as far as everyone was concerned, you were married to Theo's father.
No one had ever actually said it. They didn't have to. It wasn't exactly a difficult conclusion to reach. The tall, broad-shouldered man who was always impeccably dressed in a suit, wearing an easy smile, accompanied the two of you to most of Theo's appointments. Today had been one of the rare occasions you'd come on your own.
Lando had already felt bad before. The moment he realized all of that, he felt even worse. It wasn't fair. He didn't even want to be attracted to you.
During the weeks when Theo didn't have an appointment, surviving was much easier. Work settled back into its usual rhythm. He met plenty of beautiful people throughout the week and, without a doubt, more than a few single mothers who made no real effort to hide that they were flirting with him. Lando certainly wasn't an unattractive man, and some things simply couldn't be helped.
He knew perfectly well how to sidestep those situations.
But then, sooner or later… you would come back. Beautiful. Affectionate with Theo. Always so present, making his job easier as though you instinctively knew exactly what to do.
Maybe there wasn't anything particularly extraordinary about it, if he was being honest, but it felt like there was.
You behaved the way so many other mothers did, and yet... Well. Every time you came... and every time you left, this was where Lando ended up: eyes closed, slumped in one of the chairs in the staff lounge, looking for all the world as though he were meditating.
"Everything alright, mate?" Oscar asked, slipping into the staff lounge as quietly as he always did before heading straight for the fridge to grab one of the cans of zero-sugar soda he kept at work simply because he didn't like coffee or tea.
Lando seriously doubted those fizzy things did anything for him, but perhaps Oscar was just built differently. Made of whatever material was stubborn enough to survive more than fourteen hours of brain surgery without collapsing from exhaustion.
"I'm alright," Lando replied, rubbing a hand over his face as he straightened up in his chair.
He hadn't even taken off his lab coat yet. He'd been wondering whether he should take this one home to wash and wear the spare hanging in the back of his locker instead. The gift bag he'd received earlier was resting on the chair beside him, and he started to move it when Oscar walked over, but the neurosurgeon simply lifted a hand to stop him and took the empty chair next to it instead.
"How'd the surgery go?" Lando asked cautiously. Judging by the way Oscar looked, though, he figured it probably wasn't a bad question to ask.
Oscar nodded, took a sip of his soda, then set the can back down on the table.
"It went well. Delicate, but it's over. Helena's staying with the nurses tonight, and I..." He paused to yawn, covering his mouth with one hand. "...I'm going to sleep."
Lando let out a quiet laugh and folded his arms across his chest.
"That's fair. I'm glad it all went well."
Oscar answered with a quiet hum of agreement, his silent way of saying thanks. He took another sip of his soda, then tilted his head to one side, stretching his neck. It was almost as though Lando could watch his body shutting down in real time.
"Yeah... I'd better get going before something truly tragic happens," Oscar announced as he pushed himself to his feet.
Lando followed him with his eyes before standing as well, already holding out a hand.
"Alright, mate. Sleep well," he said, his voice carrying the kind of humor that was second nature among the hospital staff.
Oscar shook his hand and offered a lopsided smile. Sleep-deprived as he was, there was something about that expression that Lando had been seeing everywhere lately.
"So... I heard Theo came in today..."
Before Oscar could finish the sentence, Lando was already pushing him toward the door.
Oscar laughed.
"Alright, alright! I'm going."
An entire day passed after that, and it was a busy one. Busy enough that Lando didn't have a single moment to let outside thoughts distract him from his work.
He saw thirteen patients in total, and every appointment went smoothly. His fourteenth patient, however… That one came as a genuine surprise. Lando knew something was wrong the moment young Alice walked into his office. She looked pale, exhausted, and distinctly unwell. Her mother explained that she'd been like that for the past two days and that nothing they'd tried at home had made any difference.
Lando examined her, then arranged for further imaging. When the results came back later that afternoon… Yeah. This wasn't good.
Alice was transferred to the Emergency Department, where the pediatric surgery team was called in to assess her. By the end of the afternoon, she had been taken into surgery.
It was late at night, and Lando was still there, sitting outside the operating theatre with Alice's mother, who refused to leave or get any sleep. Alice's stepfather was there as well, still wearing the clothes he'd rushed over in straight from work.
It wasn't a particularly complex operation. It wouldn't take more than a few hours. The preparation had taken longer than the procedure itself. But every surgery left parents anxious. Lando knew that.
He was anxious too.
It was four o'clock in the morning by the time he finally got home.
Alice was alright.
The surgery had been a success. She would spend just one night under observation before going home to finish her recovery with the proper medication and care. It was remarkable that, despite everything, she already looked so much better than she had before going into surgery.
The magic of medicine.
It was all rather wonderful, but Lando barely had time to think about it. Still wearing the clothes he'd spent the day in, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
This wasn't going to be easy. You knew that much. Still, bringing Mr. Whiskers, the stuffed cat Theo had received from his grandma for his last birthday, had turned out to be a good idea. Now, in the phlebotomy room, he was curled up on the chair, clutching the little plush toy as though it could make everything better and help the whole ordeal end a little faster.
It broke your heart to see him like that, especially with the tiny pout on his face that did nothing to hide just how upset he was. Theo was such a sweet little boy that, for him to dislike something this much, it really had to be awful.
"Hey..." you said softly, gently nudging his arm. Theo looked up at you with those frightened eyes that would one day melt your heart. "It'll be over before you know it, I promise. Then we'll go to the little playground you like here at the hospital, remember?"
He shook his head before stretching forward to bury himself against your chest.
"For as long as I want?"
You nodded, wrapping an arm around him.
"For as long as you want."
From across the room, the nurse called his name. Theo shifted uneasily on the chair, almost as though he were hoping you hadn't heard, but you stood anyway, gently taking his hand until both his little feet were back on the floor.
"I'll hold your hand, and Mr. Whiskers will too, alright?"
With a small, miserable whimper, he nodded.
Alright, Theo might not have been quite as cooperative as everyone had hoped. He hid behind the trolley with the medical supplies, cried quite a bit, and only settled down once you picked him up and sat with him in the chair. Even so, the moment the needle did its dreadful job, his whole little body tensed, and he cried louder than you'd ever heard before.
In the end, though, everything went well enough because Nurse Doriane was truly wonderful at what she did. She gave him a toy from the Courage Box, a bottle of bubbles, and even a certificate saying he'd done a perfect job. Sniffling, his face still bright red from crying, he accepted them, but he didn't linger for long. Before you even had a chance to finish signing the paperwork, he was already tugging you away from the room.
"Can I... sniff... take my bubbles to the playground?" Theo asked as the two of you stepped outside, already catching sight of the brightly coloured play equipment near the patient waiting area.
For a brief moment, you considered it. There were far too many ways that could go wrong, and even though Theo was still a little shaken, you weren't particularly eager to clean soapy water off the rubber flooring. Clearing your throat, you took the bottle from his hands and slipped it into your bag.
"How about this? You take Mr. Whiskers to the playground, and I'll look after your bubbles. Once we get to your house, you can blow as many as you want, alright? I promise they'll be nice and safe in here," you said, tapping the bag hanging from your shoulder.
He was clearly not thrilled with the arrangement, you could tell, but he accepted it anyway. He nodded, took your hand, pressed a little kiss to it, and then ran off towards the playground, where the play specialists were watching over the children.
You watched him go with a small smile on your face.
"Was today blood test day?" a voice asked from somewhere nearby.
You were so focused on whatever Theo was doing that the answer came automatically.
"Oh, yeah. I booked it for today and—"
The moment you turned around and found yourself face to face with Dr. Norris, you nearly jumped out of your skin. It took every bit of self-control not to let out a startled yelp.
"Oh my God."
A quiet laugh escaped him, landing squarely in your chest like a bullet.
"I know I look terrible, but I didn't think it was that bad," he said, slipping one hand into the pocket of his white coat.
Only then did you really take him in. Dark circles sat beneath his eyes, his hair was a little more tousled than usual, and his shoulders were subtly tense, as though he couldn't quite afford to relax. In his other hand, he was holding a mug that looked very, very warm...
"Where did you get that?" you asked, glancing around in search of a coffee machine.
"Oh, this?" Lando asked, glancing down at the mug as though he were seeing it for the first time. "I got it from the staff break room. I can grab you one too, if you'd like. It's much better than the coffee from the vending machines."
For the briefest moment, your mind drifted back to the conversation you'd had with your brother in the car two days ago. Your hands fidgeted together because, apparently, you still had no idea how to behave around this man, but... well. He was offering...
"The vending machines have cappuccino, don't they?" you asked.
Lando gave a small shrug, the kind that seemed to say, they do.
"That, I'm afraid, I can't offer you from the doctors' lounge. We survive on coffee."
"But I kind of want coffee. Not cappuccino."
Another laugh slipped out, quieter this time, barely more than a soft breath through his nose.
"Then I'll grab you a coffee.”
A broad smile spread across his face as he headed off to get the coffee. It softened the exhaustion etched into his features and somehow made him feel a little more willing to keep going. Lando had never walked to the staff break room quite so happily, especially not after a night that had left him running on barely three hours of sleep.
Unhurriedly, he picked up a paper cup and filled it with coffee from the machine. Only then did it occur to him that he'd forgotten to ask whether you took it with sugar or not. To solve that particular problem, he grabbed one of the small paper bags from the counter and tucked in three packets of sugar, three packets of sucralose, and a couple of plastic stirrers.
The walk back was just as cheerful. He found himself quietly humming a tune he couldn't quite place, paying no mind to the curious glances from the staff as he made his way through the corridors.
There you were, waiting for him while taking pictures of Theo playing on the playground. The little boy was pulling funny faces and striking dramatic poses for the camera as you laughed and encouraged him to come up with even more. Before long, he grew tired of the game and happily wandered back to the slide.
Lando took a step forward. Just one...
From the hospital's main entrance, someone else took a step too. Then another. Towards you. You stood the moment you saw him, greeting the man with a soft smile and a warm hug before pointing over to Theo. Oh, no. The smile faded from Lando's face almost as quickly as it had appeared. He looked down at the coffee, then at the little paper bag, swallowing hard.
Oh, no. What was he doing?
For a moment, he considered turning around and walking away without giving you any of it. He had no right. He didn't want to be a part of... this. Especially not after...
But then you spotted him. You waved.
And there was nothing left for him to do except put on the polite smile he always wore and walk over with everything he'd brought.
"Here's your coffee," he said, holding out the paper cup as he reached you. Then he offered you the little bag as well. "I wasn't sure whether you preferred sugar or sweetener, so I packed both. You can... you can have it however you like.”
Your eyes widened, and the look of surprise on your face was so genuine that Lando couldn't quite hold back the small laugh that slipped out, despite everything.
"You really didn't have to do all this. Oh, thank you so much. Today's been a hard day," you said softly as you sat down, reaching into the little bag for a packet of sugar. "I was just telling Marcus... Theo didn't exactly behave himself."
Marcus. Huh.
Lando shifted slightly to get a better look at the man and greeted him with a polite nod, which was returned with a small wave.
"Yeah, he doesn't usually handle this sort of thing very well," Marcus said, rubbing the back of his neck before turning to you with effortless familiarity. "Remember when he had to get his last round of vaccines? He cried all the way home. That's the only time he cries like that."
You let out that same laugh of yours, and Lando quietly exhaled. His gaze drifted from you to Marcus, then over to Theo playing behind the fenced-in playground.
Alright.
"Well, I'd better leave you to it. I've got an emergency to get back to. But I hope I'll see you all again at Theo's follow-up, alright?" he said, his tone polite and composed.
"Thank you. Really, thank you so much. It's delicious," you said, lifting the paper cup with a smile. "See you at the follow-up, Dr. Norris."
Once again, he answered with a nod before turning his back on the three of you, still smiling together. Lando didn't have an emergency waiting for him anywhere.
That afternoon, Lando had no appointments. It was one of his support shifts, meaning he simply had to stay available in case another department needed an extra pair of hands. No one did, so all he had to do was wait until it was time to clock out. On any other day, it would have been boring. Today, it was unbearable. Which was why, four hours after you'd left, Oscar returned to the staff lounge only to find Lando curled up on the sofa, fast asleep like a child.
He understood that better than most people in the world. Professional exhaustion.
Except it wasn't just professional exhaustion: Lando was hiding.
People came and went from the staff lounge, grabbing their things, eating, drinking, chatting for a while, and leaving again. Through it all, Lando remained exactly where he was, in exactly the same position.
He slept for so long that he never even heard his alarm go off. It was Max who finally pushed his chair back from the table where he'd been eating dinner, walked over, silenced the alarm, and gave Lando's shoulder a gentle nudge.
"Mate... your shift's over," he murmured, waking him as gently as he could.
He stirred awake, thanked Max, gathered the things he'd left in his locker, said goodbye to the few colleagues still around, and headed home.
By the time he got there, though, he had enough energy for only two things: a shower and changing into whatever pair of shorts he could find before climbing straight back into bed.
Lando slept until the following morning. It was his day off.
Determined not to spend the day becoming part of the furniture, Lando was now standing outside a small bakery, holding a paper bag filled with mini muffins. Every now and then, customers came and went, passing by him with a friendly wave while Lando simply remained there, standing in the sun.
He was watching the other side of the street, where a group of teenagers laughed together as they made their way to school. A quiet, amused huff escaped him. Teenagers were always funny in groups.
His phone buzzed, pulling him out of his thoughts.
It was a photo from his sister on a trip to Patagonia with her latest boyfriend. He probably won't be around next week. It's temporary, and he knows that! she'd written. Lando didn't even question it anymore. He simply reacted to the photo with a heart before reading the messages their mum had sent, reminding her to be careful on the hiking trails.
Distracted, Lando barely noticed as you made your way towards him.
Deciding to walk over hadn't been nearly as simple as it sounded. You'd seen him the moment he walked in because you were already there, tucked away at one of the tables near the back of the bakery. The instant those familiar curls and easy smile appeared, you had no idea what to do with your own hands.
When he walked out with his order, you thought you'd missed your chance.
Alright. Fair enough. It happens.
You sent Marcus a message telling him Theo's doctor apparently frequented that little bakery, making sure to add that he looked adorable in his white jacket and that he really did suit white. That earned you nothing more than an eye-roll emoji, and your thoughts drifted back to the day before, when he'd brought you coffee and worried about what kind of sweetener you used.
It was difficult dealing with an attentive man, wasn't it?
By the time you stepped outside, though, you hadn't expected to find him still standing there, bathed in sunlight like some sort of revelation. So, taking advantage of the fact that the two of you were no longer at his workplace, you decided that maybe it would be a good idea to... well. You still weren't entirely sure what would be a good idea, but you'd already missed one opportunity to walk over. It almost felt as though life itself was nudging you in his direction.
So you did.
Lando turned towards you slowly, both eyebrows lifting in surprise.
"Oh... hi! Wow," he said, blinking.
A little laugh slipped from your lips, and you almost scolded yourself. Too much? Oh, don't be ridiculous. Your hand adjusted the strap of your bag on your shoulder.
"Hi!" you greeted him back, unable to hide the smile spreading across your face. "I saw you in there. I didn't get a chance to say anything — you were so quick. Do you come here often?"
Easy. One sentence at a time. That was far too much all at once. And... Do you come here often? Oh, no. No, no, no. Of all the things you could have said, that had to be the worst.
Lando looked at you with quiet amusement, turning fully to face you.
"I do, actually. I live over there." he pointed towards a tall, elegant apartment building two blocks away.
Your eyes followed the direction he was pointing.
Lando took advantage of your momentary distraction to steal what he could.
The surprise of finding you there.
The fact that you were talking to him.
The way your hair was tied up, leaving the back of your neck exposed, and your neck...
Dear God.
Lando took a slow breath and quickly looked away, fixing his gaze on his apartment building instead.
"Do you come here often?" he asked.
Your eyes settled on him again, and you nodded.
"I do. Sarah, the owner of the bakery, has been seeing my brother for... about five months?" you said, frowning as you tried to remember. Eventually, you gave a small shrug. "She's really lovely, so I come here quite often. We chat for a bit, eat nice things... you know."
Fascinating. Everything you said was fascinating. A broad smile spread across Lando's face as he nodded.
"That's nice. I'm glad you like her. That'll be good." He slipped his phone out of his pocket again, opened the family chat, and held it out for you to see. "My sister just sent me this. She says they won't be together by next week."
You stepped a little closer to look, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear.
Lando would never admit it, but his eyes followed the movement from beginning to end before he forced himself to look back at your face, waiting for your reaction.
"Yeah... they make absolutely no sense together," you concluded. "Although... she looks just like you. She's beautiful.”
He blinked once. Then again. You... you hadn't even realized what you'd just said, had you?
Lando swallowed slowly.
Maybe he could… No. Dear God. Lando, please. Don't say anything. Don't do anything else. You need to stop doing things.
"So... how's your family?" he asked, trying to recover at least a little of his dignity. "Theo... his... his dad?"
The last question left his mouth tasting almost like poison, bitter on his tongue. This time, it was your turn to blink, though not out of confusion. It was a perfectly reasonable question.
"Oh, I haven't seen either of them today. Maybe later. But from what Marcus has told me over text, Theo's doing well," you replied with a small shrug. "He didn't cry anymore after the blood test.”
Lando nodded, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
"Yeah... he can be a little dramatic."
"A little," you agreed, scrunching your nose. "But I try not to... not to give him too hard a time about things like that, you know?"
Of course. Lando understood.
Even so, he tilted his head slightly, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Theo's already been through enough.”
Now that was new information.
Lando knew everything there was to know about Theo's medical history, yet so little about his life beyond the day-to-day. A slight frown settled on his face.
Your head tilted ever so slightly, as though asking, “You didn't know?” Your eyes dropped to the ground as you thought for a moment.
Then you bit your lip.
It wasn't exactly your favourite subject in the world. It still hurt to think about.
"Oh..." you began quietly. "Theo... Theo lost his mum when he was three.”
Lando's lips parted slightly in surprise. His fingers tightened around the paper bag of mini muffins, the crinkling paper the only thing keeping his restless hands occupied.
"I... I didn't know," he said, his voice as quiet as yours, as though speaking any louder would somehow be disrespectful.
You nodded, folded your arms, and let out a slow breath.
"No, it's alright. It's not exactly something we go around telling people, especially not when he's nearby," you explained, adjusting the strap of your bag over your shoulder once again.
"Of course..." he murmured, the information still settling somewhere unfamiliar in his mind.
When Lando looked back at you, your attention had drifted across the street, as though you were watching something that wasn't really there.
Suddenly, he felt even worse than he had before.
"They were coming back from a trip. Theo was so little, and they were playing some sort of game... The lorry didn't see them. It was..." You swallowed hard. "It was really bad.”
A long sigh slipped past your lips before you smiled at Lando again.
"Wow... I kind of killed the mood there, didn't I? I... I'm sorry," you said, trying to lighten the atmosphere before clearing your throat. Then, with one hand, you pointed gently at him. "You look much better than you did yesterday, by the way. Did you manage to get some sleep?”
Flustered, uncertain, and thoroughly confused, Lando nodded. The movement was quick and awkward, as though he were trying to return to the present just as you had.
"Yeah... I got plenty of sleep after I got home. And today's my day off, so I'm making the most of it," he said, absently tightening his grip on the paper bag still hanging from his hand.
For what Lando promised himself would be the last time, his eyes drifted back to you.
He remembered every little glance he'd stolen, the trace of your perfume that seemed to linger wherever you went, and the attentive way you listened to every word he said. He remembered the delighted expression on your face when he'd brought you that coffee, as though it had been far more than just something to keep you awake. He remembered the sweet little voices you put on whenever you pretended Theo's stuffed animals were talking to him.
It was as though you were a painting he was destined to admire, but never touch. Separated by a velvet rope.
It was alright. He could be content with that.
When your eyes met his, his shoulders finally relaxed. You kept talking, and he kept listening, grateful for the chance.
The next few days didn't pass. They dragged.
Lando felt like a shell of himself, and everyone noticed. No one ever brought it up, but someone was always finding a reason to do something that, eventually, even Lando began to pick up on.
He put on his pediatrician's smile, his mask of a man perfectly content with his life, and did the best job he could, just as he always had. But in between appointments, during breaks and the quiet moments, there was always someone talking to him about something completely ordinary or absentmindedly placing something into his hands.
Max talked to him about the match. Oscar brought lunch for the two of them, claiming he simply didn't feel like eating alone. Russell pulled him over to help with the newborns and their families, and somehow... it wasn't enough.
Gabriel didn't make his usual jokes. Instead, he asked thoughtful questions, taking advantage of Lando's experience and quietly treating him like a mentor. Lando didn't mind, nor did he complain when Oliver and Kimi wandered into Pediatrics for no apparent reason other than to distract Gabriel from his work.
Lando went home exhausted every evening and collapsed onto the sofa.
No one could figure out why Dr. Norris looked so utterly worn down. Had someone in his family died? They would have known. Was one of his patients seriously ill? He would have told them. Was he running out of clean lab coats? That had never upset anyone...
Nobody knew. Nobody knew. Not even Lando, really. All Lando wanted to do was work and sleep. Work and sleep. But… Niki Lauda General Hospital missed the soul of Lando. Where had it gone?
It was on the other side of the city, wandering through the streets while taking photographs of all the places she thought were the most beautiful.
He spent his life inside a hospital, and yet there was no cure for a man who truly believed, in the deepest part of his heart, that he was the most wretched of all — so cruel for longing for someone who was not only committed to another man, but who also kept alive the flame of a family that had lost its most important person.
Lando would never forgive himself. He was trying to forget. He had to. How was he supposed to do that?
Drinking wasn't enough. Working wasn't enough. Mindlessly swiping through dating apps and even agreeing to the blind date Franco had arranged wasn't enough either. Sleeping had already proven completely ineffective.
Nothing worked.
There was no cure for what ailed him.
It was on an otherwise ordinary morning that something rather weird happened.
Lando was in his office, finishing the last of the case notes that needed to be signed off that day, when one of the receptionists, Kelly, knocked on his door.
"Come in," Lando called without looking up, stamping a prescription before finally lifting his head. "Everything alright, Kelly?"
She nodded and handed him a sheet of paper.
"It's about Theo. His aunt stopped by to let us know that he and his dad had to leave on a last-minute trip. She asked if we could reschedule his appointment," she explained, simply doing her job. "Since she's usually the one who comes in with him, would you like to speak to her personally?"
Lando's hand froze halfway through the movement.
What did Kelly mean by "aunt"? And what was that about her always being the one who came in with Theo? She was probably mistaken. These things happened. The hospital was always busy, with patients and families passing through reception every single day. Lando nodded. Yes, it would be best to speak to the woman. Especially since there might simply have been this misunderstanding between Kelly and whoever had come in that morning. If she'd confused Theo's family with another patient's, someone would need to let her know, and perhaps he was the right person to make that judgement.
When the receptionist, came back to tell you that Dr. Norris was waiting to see you in his office, that wasn't exactly what you'd been expecting.
You'd only stopped by the hospital that morning to let the staff know that Marcus was about to leave on a trip with Sarah and Theo. When Kelly stepped away to let Dr. Norris know, you'd simply assumed she would come back with a new appointment date, not an invitation to his office.
The truth was, ever since the last time you'd run into him outside the bakery, you'd convinced yourself that nothing more would ever come of it. Despite your own small, almost insignificant attempts to get closer to him, and despite little moments like the coffee, Lando didn't seem particularly interested.
And perhaps he shouldn't be. He was your nephew's doctor, after all. You were fairly certain that was a line no doctor should ever cross, and Lando had always struck you as deeply ethical. It was, admittedly, a little humiliating to keep sending signals that would probably never be noticed. Worse still, you hated the thought of making him uncomfortable. The last thing you ever wanted was to become an inconvenience.
You went anyway.
Your shoulders were slightly hunched as you walked, offering a small wave to a friendly doctor passing by. His ID badge read Dr. Piastri, Neurosurgeon. He waved back, then raised an eyebrow when he noticed where you were headed. You had no way of knowing it, but his gaze met Dr. Verstappen's across the corridor, and the two of them exchanged a very clear, silent message. Here we go again...
Only then did you finally raise your hand and knock twice on the white door at the end of the Pediatrics corridor with your knuckles.
The handle turned. There he was, opening the door for you with a slight furrow in his brow.
"Oh... it's you!" Lando said, almost as though the sight of you had genuinely caught him by surprise. "Kelly said it was Theo's aunt. I think she got confused."
Hang on… What?
You rubbed the back of your neck before stepping into the office through the space he'd made for you.
"So... Theo's gone away?"
As you wandered around the office, your attention drifted from one thing to another.
"Oh, well... yeah. Marcus managed to plan a trip with Sarah so Theo could get to know her better, you know?"
Lando nodded. Right. A family trip.
"And... are you going too?" The question slipped out before he could stop it. Entirely unprofessional.
"Go with... them?" you repeated, a note of confusion creeping into your voice, as though the idea itself didn't make much sense.
Lando caught it. He looked you straight in the eye. His brows drew together even more, and Lando… Lando had never felt so strange in his life. So utterly confused. He rubbed at his forehead and let out a long breath.
"I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't be asking you this. It's your personal life, and what you do is entirely your business, but..." He lifted a hand, trying to piece together everything he thought he knew. His gaze drifted away from yours, falling to the floor. "Why would you let your husband and your son go on a trip with another woman?”
You actually took a step back, as though the question had physically thrown you off balance.
"...I'm sorry?"
Lando wanted to take it back. He wanted to erase the sentence from existence altogether. He had wandered into territory that had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Nothing at all.
He covered his face with one hand and shook his head. He didn't want to deal with any of this anymore, yet somehow, every time he opened his mouth, he only seemed to make everything worse. And he kept going.
"No, I... Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interfere in—"
He barely got the words out before you stopped him. Completely. Both hands came up between the two of you, cutting him off before he could say another word.
"Lando. Dr. Norris." You called his name, your voice gentle, touched with a kind of bewilderment that was entirely new. "I don't know what impression we've given you, or what the paperwork says, but... Marcus is my brother."
…
…
…
…
Lando's arms fell limply to his sides. His entire body seemed to lose all structure. He looked... oddly boneless.
…
…
"...Brother?" he echoed quietly, the word sounding completely unfamiliar on his tongue.
Your eyes blinked once. First because… Oh my God. He thought you and Marcus were... a couple? Then they widened. A little grimace crossed your face, one that made you look so, so much like Theo that Lando...
Laughed.
A loud, wholehearted laugh burst out of him as he leaned back, completely overcome by it.
You had never seen this version of him. Never heard that laugh before. It was loud, warm, completely unrestrained… Completely Lando.
For a moment, all you could do was stare.
"Oh... Mint," he muttered. “Mint, mint. Mint.”
Still smiling, he made his way back around to his desk, pulled a sheet of paper from one of the drawers, and clicked his pen open.
"We can reschedule Theo for next week, if that works for you," he said, the smile still seemingly etched across his face.
You blinked again.
"...You thought Marcus and I were a couple?”
Lando closed his eyes, embarrassment creeping up the back of his neck. After a moment, he cautiously opened just one of them.
"...Yes." A beat. "Could we... maybe never speak of that again?”
A smile slowly found its way onto your lips.
"Lando?" you called. He looked up at you. "Is it alright if I call you that?"
Somewhere between one flustered blink and the next, he nodded. Of course it was alright. Everything was alright. Everything was wonderful.
"Yes," he said. "You can call me that."
He set his pen down on the desk. You took a step closer. Then another.
Lando's eyes flicked briefly toward the security camera mounted in the corner of the office, and that alone made you stop, laughing like a child caught in the middle of a harmless prank.
But he wasn't about to scold you. No.
He lifted his chin ever so slightly, wearing that quietly proud expression and the small smile that offered you the briefest glimpse of something… Something for another time.
His hands searched across the desk until they found a business card. His business card. Your breath caught in your throat. You thought he was simply going to hand it to you. Instead, he turned it over and wrote something on the back.
Another number.
And beside it, in unmistakably Lando handwriting, enclosed in parentheses, were the words: (call this one instead).
"So... I wasn't crazy after all?" you asked, taking the card from his hand.
"You drove me crazy, actually," Lando replied, tilting his head to one side.
And with the slightly breathless laugh that escaped you, you knew something very good was about to happen.
"Mint?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.
He laughed.
"Mint."
A moment later, there was a knock at the door, and Kelly poked her head inside.
"Dr. Lando? Your afternoon patients are starting to arrive."
"Alright, Kelly. Thanks," he replied, never taking his eyes off you.
"I... I should probably go," you said.
Lando nodded.
"Yeah. I think so."
Your smile widened. Lowering your gaze, you slowly turned toward the door.
here's the thing: i'm writing the slowest slow burn to ever exist. the series will come later. they're grounded for now, guys (seriously, i just can't seem to continue them at the moment, so thank you for being patient with me 😟)
but i think you're going to have a good time with this next one. it's such a cozy little story to write, and i'm absolutely loving it.
considering i tell you all pretty much everything that happens in my life, i thought i'd share something that happened yesterday.
as you know, i've been going through a bit of a rough time lately, and it's made writing really difficult, which is why i've been so quiet. yesterday i was traveling to an event, and on the way home i almost got into a car accident... there was a coach on the highway, and the car i was in ended up stuck in its blind spot. if my friend hadn't been an INCREDIBLY skilled driver, we would've been crushed against the side of the road. it all happened so fast.
all that being said, i'm so, so grateful that we're okay. i genuinely can't stop thinking about it. i don't think i've ever been this grateful to be alive before. life can change in a second, and that's a really strange thing to sit with.
anyway... hi. rough race today, huh?
oscar piastri, LOCK IN. kimi antonelli, LOCK IN. lando norris, LOCK IN.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
hi, everyone. i actually started writing something today and it was supposed to be the end of my little break, but something unexpected came up... i received some really sad news, and it's made it a little difficult to write. i was already dealing with a pretty stubborn case of writer's block, and now... this. i promise i'll be back soon, though. this is one of my favorite places to be, and i miss it already. and to everyone waiting for updates on the series, i promise i'm still working on them 🤍
i have committed a financial crime: i bought a kindle. i don't know what the prices are like where you all live, but they're pretty expensive here. BUT I'VE WANTED ONE FOR SO LONG 😭😭😭
