Chapter Text
“Good morning, love,” Max said softly as he gently woke a very sleepy Lando.
“Morning,” Lando muttered, rubbing his stomach. Growing two pups was no joke—but at least he had Max by his side, no matter what.
“Breakfast is ready, so let’s head downstairs,” Max said with a smile as he turned to walk toward the door.
“I wish I could,” Lando replied, smiling slightly. Max paused, looking confused—until Lando pulled the covers back to reveal Jimmy, fast asleep on his lap.
“He’s been so protective lately—him, Donut, and Sassy,” Lando said with a soft giggle as he gently stroked Jimmy’s fur.
“I guess they’re all excited for their new siblings,” Max said with a warm smile, leaning casually against the doorframe.
Lando looked thoughtful. “I wonder how they’ll act when the twins are actually here.”
Jimmy stirred, stretched, and hopped down from Lando’s lap, trotting over to greet Max.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll be obsessed—and ridiculously protective,” Max reassured him.
Max knelt down to pet Donut, who had just entered the room.
“Do you remember when you first told me you were pregnant?” he asked, glancing up.
Lando groaned as he stood up from the bed. “How could I forget? I was so scared of how you’d react. I felt like I was going to explode from the anxiety.”
⸻
~~~ Flashback ~~~
Lando hadn’t been feeling well for weeks—not just physically, but mentally too. Every morning he’d wake up nauseous, and most meals ended with him throwing up. Still, he chalked it up to stress.
The online hate had been brutal lately—so harsh that Max had convinced him to delete all his social media. But the damage had already been done. Lando had read every cruel comment, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget them.
He knew he shouldn’t care about the haters, but part of him feared they were right. Maybe he was too immature. Maybe he was acting like a spoiled brat.
So, he ignored the warning signs, pushing through each day as if nothing was wrong. But ignoring them got harder. His trainer, Jon, had started to notice.
“You should really go see a doctor,” Jon urged one morning, concern etched on his face. Lando just nodded, even though the thought of doctors made him panic. He promised himself that if things didn’t get better soon, he’d go.
But then came qualifying day—and everything changed.
As he stood in the driver’s room getting ready, something clicked.
“Hey, Lando, you okay?” Jon asked, watching him freeze mid-step with a faraway look in his eyes.
“Yeah, I’m fine, mate,” Lando replied quickly. “I’ll be back in a minute—just need the bathroom.”
He grabbed his phone and left before Jon could respond, locking himself in a stall once he got there. With shaky hands, he opened his heat calendar app.
And then his heart sank.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake… This cannot be happening,” Lando whispered, staring at the screen. His heat was two weeks late.
No. No, no, no. His mind raced. It’s probably just stress… or something I ate. He tried to reason with himself, but deep down he knew the truth.
He leaned back against the door, tears slipping down his cheeks.
I just ruined everything.
A few minutes later, a soft knock broke the silence.
“Lando? Are you okay?” Jon’s voice was gentle, concerned.
Lando quickly wiped his tears, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
“I’m okay, Jon. Thanks for checking.” His voice was low, and he avoided Jon’s eyes.
“Lando, I’ve known you since you were a little kid. I know you’re not okay,” Jon said gently, his eyes scanning Lando’s puffy, tear-streaked face and bitten lips.
Lando quickly looked away, unable to meet his gaze.
“My heat is two weeks late,” the omega whispered, eyes fixed on the floor.
Jon’s expression softened. “Oh, Lando…” he murmured, pulling him into a tight hug—the kind that made Lando feel small and safe, like he had back in his karting days when Jon would shield him from the world.
“I don’t know what to do, Jon. What am I supposed to tell Max?” Lando’s voice cracked as fresh tears welled up.
“It’s okay. We’ll figure it out,” Jon reassured him, holding Lando close. “Right now, just focus on qualifying, okay? One step at a time. We’ll handle the rest after.”
Lando nodded tiredly, barely holding himself together.
⸻
Back in his hotel room, Lando lay curled on the bed, staring at the ceiling, anxiously waiting for Jon to return from the pharmacy. The room felt too quiet, too still. When the door finally opened, he sat up, heart pounding.
Jon stepped in, holding a small paper bag. “I got the best test they had,” the beta said softly, handing it over.
Lando took the pregnancy test with shaking hands and quietly walked into the bathroom. After taking it, he set a five-minute timer and flipped the test over so the result wouldn’t be visible. Then, he sat on the cold floor, arms around his knees, staring into nothing. Every second dragged like an hour.
The timer beeped.
“Lando? Are you okay?” Jon called through the door. No response—just quiet, heartbreaking sobs.
Jon cracked the door open and found Lando curled on the floor, trembling. He crouched beside him and gently pulled him into his arms, rubbing his back, letting his scent and warmth offer comfort.
“Do you want me to check it, or do you want to?” he asked gently, silencing the timer.
“No… I need to do it,” Lando said, wiping his eyes.
With trembling fingers, he stood and picked up the test. He turned it over.
A choked sob escaped him as he dropped the stick onto the floor.
It was positive.
Lando collapsed back into Jon’s arms, sobbing harder now—louder, rawer. The weight of the truth hit him like a tidal wave. He was pregnant.
But worst of all, he didn’t know how he was going to tell Max.
Lando sat on the bathroom floor, the positive test lying face-up beside him like a silent, damning truth. Jon stayed quiet, his arms still around him, waiting—never rushing, never judging.
After a few minutes, Lando’s sobs began to quiet into hiccuping breaths.
“What… what if he doesn’t want it?” Lando whispered, his voice hoarse and small.
Jon exhaled slowly, choosing his words carefully. “Then you’ll deal with that, too. But Max isn’t the kind of guy who runs from responsibility. You know that.”
Lando shook his head. “You don’t understand. We weren’t… we weren’t planning for this. We weren’t even serious-serious. I mean, yeah, we care about each other but—”
His voice cracked again.
“I’m scared, Jon.”
“I know, mate,” Jon said quietly, brushing Lando’s curls out of his face. “You don’t have to figure everything out tonight. But you do need to talk to him. Hiding this isn’t going to make it go away.”
Lando sniffled, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his hoodie. “I don’t want to lose him.”
Jon looked at him seriously. “If he walks away because of this, then he was never really yours to begin with.”
That thought hit Lando in the chest. Deep down, he knew Jon was right—but the fear still gnawed at him.
Lando sat on the edge of his hotel bed, shoulders hunched, eyes glued to the carpet. Jon stood by the door, holding his phone, already knowing what Lando was about to ask.
“Can you text Max? Just… tell him to come here?” Lando whispered.
Jon nodded wordlessly and sent the message. A few moments passed, and the screen lit up with a reply.
“He’s on his way.”
Lando’s stomach dropped.
Jon stepped closer and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be right down the hall. I won’t go far.”
“Thanks, Jon,” Lando murmured, his voice barely audible.
Jon gave him a small, reassuring squeeze before quietly leaving the room. The silence that followed was crushing. Every second felt like it dragged, thick with anticipation. Lando wiped his palms on his joggers, his body buzzing with nervous energy. He didn’t even realize he was holding his breath until there was a knock at the door.
He hesitated for a second before standing up and walking slowly over. When he opened the door, Max was standing there, dressed casually in a hoodie and jeans, his face filled with concern.
“Lando… what’s going on?” Max asked immediately, stepping inside.
Lando shut the door behind him but didn’t move. His eyes were glassy, tired.
“Sit down,” he said quietly, motioning to the edge of the bed.
Max obeyed, but he didn’t take his eyes off Lando for a second. “You’re scaring me.”
Lando stood across from him, arms crossed tightly, as if trying to hold himself together.
“I didn’t want to say this over the phone,” he began, his voice shaking. “Because I needed to see your face. I needed to know how real it was.”
Max’s brow furrowed. “Okay…”
Lando reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out the test—the test Jon had tucked back into its wrapper before he left. He held it out with trembling fingers.
Max stared at it. Then back at Lando.
“Is this—”
“Positive,” Lando said, choking on the word.
Max was quiet. He didn’t flinch, didn’t move—he just stared at the little stick like it was some kind of puzzle he didn’t know how to solve.
Lando kept talking, the words spilling out like water through a broken dam. “I didn’t know, Max. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was late, and I thought it was just stress or traveling or whatever—but I took the test and… it’s real. I’m pregnant.”
Max still said nothing.
Lando was talking, voice shaking, apologizing. Saying things like “You can leave if you want” and “It’s fine, really”—but Max couldn’t hear any of that over the roaring in his ears.
Pregnant.
His Omega was pregnant.
The realization hit him like a punch to the chest. Not fear. Not anger. Just something deep and ancient and absolute that unfurled in his gut like wildfire.
He looked at Lando—really looked—and saw the fear behind his eyes. His scent was spiked with it, bitter and sharp. His hands were shaking, curled in the sleeves of his hoodie like he was trying to disappear inside it.
No.
Max stepped forward, crossing the room in two strides and taking Lando’s face in his hands.
“Don’t you dare say it’s fine.” His voice was low, steady. Alpha-deep. He made Lando look at him. “Don’t you dare think I’d leave you.”
Lando froze, tears caught on his lashes.
“You’re mine, Lando,” Max said, softer now. One hand slid down to press gently over Lando’s stomach. “This baby… this is ours.”
Lando choked on a sob as Max pulled him close. His arms wrapped tight around him, scenting instinct kicking in so hard it made Max’s pulse spike. He pressed his nose into Lando’s curls and breathed deep, grounding himself in him.
“I’ve got you,” Max whispered into his hair. “I’ve got you. No matter what.”
He didn’t know what came next. He didn’t have a plan.
But he knew this: no one was touching his Omega or their pup. Not without going through him first.