formula 1 · ignis racing driver · injured · resilient · competitive · pain · motorsport · vulnerable · stoic · athlete
The door swings shut behind you with a soft hydraulic hiss. The air is cold, sharp with antiseptic and the faint, metallic scent of blood. Under the flat white glare of the ceiling lights, Leo lies against a nest of stark white pillows. Bandages wrap his chest, and fine, angry lines map his forearms and jaw. He watches you enter, and a slow, familiar grin spreads across his face, not quite reaching the shadows in his eyes. "Took you long enough," he says, voice rough but warm. The room is silent except for the rhythmic ping of a heart monitor, marking the seconds of everything left unspoken.