#(((anguish)))

The post-race enclosure was always a chaotic place.

Cameras were pointed from every angle, while journalists spoke simultaneously, frantically vying for a few seconds of the drivers' attention before they disappeared into the paddock.

Y/n knew that scenario as well as any member of the team, and because she was so familiar with the dynamics, she noticed almost immediately that something was different about Kimi.

He continued answering the questions put to him, polite as always. He maintained impeccable posture, looked directly at the reporters, and showed no visible irritation at the barrage of questions.

To an outsider, it seemed like just another ordinary interview following a breakup. But she knew him well enough to decipher the subtle details.

And then the interviews were over.

Y/n was in a more secluded corner, calmly chatting with one of the women on the team, when he saw Kimi cross the entrance. Immediately, several engineers approached him, as they all wanted to explain what had happened on the track.

But Kimi seemed to be anywhere in the world but there.

Bono gave the young driver a sympathetic look before smiling back. "Of course. Actually, we were finishing up here."

He listened and nodded occasionally. However, his eyes wandered distantly across the garage floor.

And then, in an involuntary movement, her gaze met Y/n in the corner of the room. It was only for a brief instant, but the moment was enough for her to immediately recognize the deep exhaustion that Kimi was trying to mask.

She politely excused herself from the woman she was talking to and calmly crossed the garage. The engineers continued talking when she approached the group and, without interrupting anyone, simply extended her hand and gently placed it on Kimi's shoulder.

The effect of the contact was immediate. The muscles in his back and neck visibly relaxed under her touch, enough for him to perceive the instant relief that closeness brought.

"Can I steal Andrea for a little while?" Y/n asked with a small smile.

There was only one nineteen-year-old boy who had finally found a genuinely safe place to completely collapse.

The other engineers nodded in agreement and also began to disperse towards their respective workbenches.

"Take a break. You don't need to think about it now. We'll talk at the factory during the week." Bono gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder and walked away.

Kimi let out a low breath, feeling the weight lift, and simply nodded.

Once everyone had dispersed and left them alone in the space, Y/n intertwined her fingers with his naturally, and Kimi squeezed her hand back almost instantly.

She then began to gently guide him out of the garage, the two of them walking through the interior corridors in a comforting silence. But Kimi barely noticed the movement around them, because all his attention remained focused on the sensation of that firm hand holding his, serving as his only anchor at that moment.

Y/n simply guided him patiently through the corridors toward the room reserved for pilots.

It was usually Kimi who firmly made his way through the crowds, who held her hand to protect her from the world, who led her places, and who naturally took charge of situations. He always proved to be such a gentleman and attentive to her every need.

But truly caring for someone didn't just mean offering constant protection; sometimes it meant recognizing exactly when the other person was too tired to continue carrying the weight of the world alone. And Y/n had understood this perfectly.

When they finally reached his private room, Y/n opened the door and waited for him to enter first. Then, she went in and locked the door behind them, isolating them from the rest of the racetrack.

The silence of the enclosed space was almost immediate and comforting.

She turned around intending to say something comforting, but didn't have time to utter a single word; Kimi wrapped her arms around her waist and buried her face completely in the soft curve of her neck.

Y/n felt her heart race in her chest, not because she was scared or surprised by the reaction, but because she knew that Kimi normally carried all his frustrations and pressures alone without complaining, but in that particular hug there were no barriers or pride.

It wasn't because he had completely convinced himself, as he still genuinely felt he had made a big mistake and blamed himself for it, but knowing that he had someone there to confide in without judgment and to count on unconditional support for everything, made him relax.

"I was awful today." The voice came out muffled against Y/n's neck.

Y/n immediately wrapped her arms around him, returning the hug with the same intensity. One of her hands gently moved up his back, caressing him slowly and continuously.

"You were doing well, my love."

"I was." He closed his eyes tightly. "The overtaking maneuver had finally worked, and then, right after, my engine decided to stop working."

Y/n continued stroking her back with her fingers, maintaining the rhythmic movement without interrupting her outpouring of emotion.

"It's ridiculous. I spent entire laps fighting, managing tires, conserving energy, and then the engine stops. It felt like it was laughing at me." Kimi sighed again, clenching her fingers even tighter on her shirt.

That made Y/n's heart clench painfully in her chest. It was something much deeper, linked to that suffocating feeling of pure powerlessness, to the uncomfortable weight of not having absolute control of the situation even after giving her all on the dance floor.

She moved her body just enough to look directly at him. "You weren't awful."

Kimi let out a weak, humorless laugh, slightly averting his gaze. "It doesn't seem like it... Because it wasn't one of my best races."

Y/n observed his tired face in silence for a few seconds. There was no anger expressed in the lines of his face, only a genuine and heavy disappointment.

"I can agree with you, it really wasn't your best race. But you know what that changes? Nothing."

"Y/n..."

"Nothing, Kimi." She repeated firmly, preventing him from putting himself down. "One bad race doesn't erase all the good ones." Her fingertips lightly brushed against the skin of his cheek. "It doesn't erase the points you've earned, it doesn't erase the incredible overtakes you've made, it doesn't erase the records you've broken, it doesn't erase the talented driver you are."

Y/n smiled, conveying all her admiration, and Kimi visibly relaxed.

And Kimi remained in absolute silence, absorbing every word and every sensation of the moment. She understood his need and made him comfortable with his own time to process everything, but holding him tightly against her.

"You know what the problem is? You always expect too much of yourself." Her voice was affectionate. "You get used to struggling ahead of time, you get used to doing everything right. And then you forget that nobody can have a perfect weekend every time."

Kimi lowered her gaze to the space between them. "But I wanted to have finished..."

The confession came out quietly, with an almost childlike tone of pure, pent-up frustration, and it was precisely the vulnerability of that phrase that made her heart clench again.

"I know."

"I wanted to have finished that race."

"I know!" She smiled again, as she reached out with her free hand to gently brush some unruly curls away from his forehead.

"I wanted to bring points home for the team."

Kimi sighed again, letting out a melancholic breath, and then he looked at Y/n with those sad little eyes, shining with disappointment at the outcome. The sight of that face made Y/n immediately hug him tightly again, enveloping his entire body, and Kimi didn't take a single second to snuggle against her once more.

"You'll have other chances."

"Not today..." He said in a muffled voice.

Y/n gently rested her face against his hair. "Maybe not in the next race, but you'll have millions more chances. I know you will!"

His arms tightened even more around her waist. "How can you be so sure?"

Y/n smiled, because that was the easiest question in the world to answer.

"Because that's how racing works. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes you do everything right and something still breaks, and sometimes you do everything wrong and still get a result." She ran her hand slowly down his back. "Racing isn't fair. It never has been."

Y/n tilted her head and kissed Kimi's neck tenderly, still enveloped in that warm embrace.

Y/n dramatically placed a hand on her chest, feigning deep offense. "How cruel, after I saved you from the engineers."

"But do you know what else is part of them?" Y/n asked softly, changing her tone slightly.

"Hm?"

She stepped back a little, smiling encouragingly, and Kimi lifted her head to look directly into her eyes, her expression completely surrendered to her and her care.

"Come back next week." Y/n leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Try again." She left another affectionate kiss on his cheek. "Learn." Another tender kiss on the corner of his lips. "And grow."

Kimi let out a low, relieved giggle, the soft sound finally calming Y/n's heart after so much tension.

"That's why you're a pilot."

Kimi remained silent for a few moments, and Y/n kept her arms protectively around him.

It was a comfortable silence, the kind that only exists when two people know each other deeply and don't need speeches to understand each other.

"You make it seem so simple."

"Because it's simple, you're the one who likes to complicate things." Y/n chuckled softly at his expression, and Kimi, in response, lightly poked her ribs with his fingers.

"I don't complicate things."

"Maybe a little." She laughed, dodging his touch, and he laughed along. "Look, his sense of humor is returning."

"Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?" Y/n stepped back a little further to get a look at his face, smiling slightly in amusement.

"Now you're going back to making jokes."

"Obviously! It's my strong point!"

"That's the kind of problem I like."

Kimi instantly broke into a wide smile. "Wonderful!"

Kimi let out another genuine laugh, and honestly, hearing that specific sound meant more to Y/n at that moment than any podium result or racing trophy.

She leaned forward affectionately and placed a soft kiss on his right cheek. Then she switched sides and placed another on his left cheek. And yet another on the tip of his chin.

"You're showering me with kisses."

"Complain more and I'll give you another one." Y/n said, stopping millimeters away from his lips, feeling his breath.

"That doesn't seem like a very effective threat." Kimi smiled, her eyes involuntarily drifting down to focus on her mouth.

"Want to test?"

"Perhaps."

She smiled immediately at his bold reply.

Y/n then gently held his face and carefully observed every line of his features, noticing that the heavy, tired expression from before was beginning to completely disappear, giving way to the Kimi she loved so much.

Y/n approached slowly and kissed his lips softly. Kimi smiled against her mouth at first, savoring the sweetness, and then gently took control of the situation, tilting his head to the side and deepening the kiss with a tender intensity full of longing.

His hands moved firmly to her face, his thumbs gently caressing her jawline, while Y/n's hands found refuge in his hair, moving up to the nape of his neck and twirling the curls between her fingers.

After a few minutes enjoying that contact, they slowly pulled away for lack of air, and Y/n smiled with her lips pressed against his.

"Do you have anything to do before we go back to the hotel?"

"I have a meeting with the team in..." Kimi raised his wrist to look at his watch. "In fifty minutes."

"We can stay here a little longer." She held out her index finger and poked his nose.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, my idea from the moment I got out of the car was to stay close to you."

Y/n felt her cheeks quickly heat up at the confession. "Cute."

Kimi chuckled softly at her reaction before leaning forward slightly and affectionately kissing the tip of her nose.

He took her hand, intertwined their fingers firmly, and began to gently pull her toward the sofa in the corner of the room. With a quick, strategic movement, he pulled her onto the sofa with him, making her let out a little gasp of surprise.

Before she could even complain, Kimi was already adjusting their bodies in the confined space, positioning her comfortably against his chest, his long arms around her shoulders and resting his head on top of hers.

As if it were now his turn to take on the role and take care of her.