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Chapter Text

Lando walks into the paddock on a nice saturday morning, the sun is shining bright. Maybe a bit too bright if you ask him, he immediately feels beads of sweat rolling down from his curls. Nonetheless the weather is nice, Lando thrives during the summer anyway, call that his hot girl summer or whatever you please.

He woke up this morning with a lot of optimism and a meticulously convoluted plan. Calling it meticulous would be bit of a stretch. He had crafted a plan. A plan that would burn, crash, and lead him to the inevitable demise that he somehow always manages to avoid by a thin silver thread.

The optimism was obviously to get a good result out of qualifying, he reckoned that it'd be too hard considering the rocketship mclaren has delivered this season as well, but it was always better to come onto the track with a positive mindset. Also for his own mental well-being he cannot start off the '25 season on a bad note. No way, after the wreck of winning the constructors last year, the media would eat Lando 'the runner up in the wdc' Norris alive if he doesn't even make it to Q3.

The plan was also, very optimistic. A bit too optimistic.

Lando wanted to start off this season on a high note. As a result, while devising this... plan he chose to think of only the nice outcomes. Because you know, what could possibly go wrong. He could possibly ruin his entire f1 career and say goodbye to ever winning a drivers championship and scrape himself a slot on a hit list made by the love of his life and be shunned from society if worst comes to worst and-.

No, he isnt going to deal with this again. He'd already made his decision.

Now the plan wasnt 'meticulously convoluted' or anything, it was quite simple. Little Lando Norris's brain can't handle complex plans, the twitch quartet has reminded him once and once again of the disasters of his past exploits. They even helped in crafting this elaborate four step plan.

step 1: Corner Oscar after qualifying
step 2: Confront him
step 3: Corner Oscar after the race
step 4: Confess his undying love for him and hope for the best

It involved a little too much cornering than Lando would like but it would be the only way for Lando to recite the speeches he now has memorised by heart.

Step two is the most important step of the plan, as was discussed by the self-proclaimed governers of Lando's love life. These governers were obviously doing a shit job at governing him because he has had heart eyes for Oscar since the latter debuted and so far he has had zero kisses from him.

Step two is the entire backbone of the plan as it decides if the plan is even worth carrying on. See Oscar is Just a Guy™. A very sauve and laid-back guy, if someone spilled fish gravy on his favourite khaki shorts he'd say "no worries mate, whats done is done" in his stupid, but undeniably hot, australian accent. Lando himself has been on the receiving end of this soft treatment.

But somewhere along the way, just when Lando thought there could be something more between them-- something that he'd been craving for as long as he could remember, Oscar started giving him the cold shoulder. It was like all of the sudden Lando was the worst human being to ever grace the earth.

Oscar stopped laughing at his jokes, he stopped coming over to his hotel rooms, he stopped texting him, he started to give him disgusted glances upon seeing him, he even stopped training with him, no small talk, definitely no polite exchanges during meetings, and worst of all he avoided Lando like the plague.

Something definitely changed and it wasn't Lando.

Lando has had a huge, freako, crush on this Guy™ ever since he met him but unfortunately in Oscar's eyes, he has committed some sort of a crime that must be punishable by death in 37 countries because he is the only person receiving this standoffish treatment from Oscar.

This has to come to a stop because it is killing Lando and he has become as insufferable as a 15 year old boy that his friends had to call an intervention, courtesy of Max and Charles. And also because Lando knows that Oscar liked him, their friendship bordered on co-dependent homoeroticism. On late nights in hotel rooms the lines between friendship and something more often got blurry, after celebrations with alcohol or even during the hard times when they just needed one another. Oscar was not his but he was just so good at making Lando feel like they belonged to each other.

So no Lando was not just going to let this go. Of course he was going to pry, that's what he is best at. He needs to know that everything was real and that he wasn’t just being delusional.

-

Free practice went by in a breeze oscar was amazing.

Lando managed to run into Oscar just before they started to get ready for qaulifying.

"Hey mate! how are you feeling after eating everybody up in FP3?" Lando said with a stupid grin on his face.

Oscar smacked his lips, "uh good,"

Of course.

"Good luck for qauli! you'll just get p1 no? It's your home race after all!"

"I'll just get p1 huh?-" Oscars face morphed into a slight frown, "-what are you doing? are you trying to jinx me or something mate?" Oscar felt something bubbling in his gut as he said that, sadness? Maybe.

"No wait! i didnt mean it like that-" Lando said by the time Oscar had already started retreating.

"Whatever Lando, good luck."

"Wait! Osc-"

Lando didn't run after him, it's not like he's in a movie or something. They're not just going to kiss and make up. No, that's not how it works now does it?

Lando couldn't let this weigh on him right now. He has other things at hand to focus on, besides he was going to talk to him after qualifying anyway. Go back to the good old times.

-

P1.

That's good right? Definitely. Does Lando feel bad that he took pole position at Oscar's home race? maybe. Okay no. he dorsn't have time to unpack all that right now. He has a plan to execute.

Now cornering Oscar was not a hard task. Oscar Piastri is a simple man, very simple. After their media duties, he sent Oscar a vague message.

Osc

November 30, 2024

heyy u left ur hoodie in my room
after the race ill come by with it
sent 

December 1, 2024

?
y arent u picking up

osc?
sent

December 13, 2024

y r u being weird osc 
r u avoiding me

Let's not do this please.

not do what?
what r u talking abt
hey?
osc

oscar
answer me
please
if i did something im sorry
seen

Today

some of ur stuffs in my driver room idk y
come get it
seen

Maybe Lando should've removed those previous texts because looking back at them only made him feel worse, but he couldn't bring himself to for some reason.

He could hear Oscar coming up to his room, he stood in front of the closed door for a solid minute. What the hell was he doing? Then a very gentle knock on his door could be heard. 

"Oh you made it?-" Lando said as he opened the door, he was freaking out and he could only hope that he doesn't fuck it up "-thought you were going abandon your stuff at this rate." Okay so he said that.

"Yeah, no I wouldn't," Clearly Oscar was just as nervous about being alone with Lando after so long, he kept wiping his palms on the sides of his waist. "So where is the stuff."

"Ah yes," Lando said with a sigh as he closed the door behind Oscar. "So if you want me to tell you the truth, there is no stuff of yours here."

"What?"

"Yeaaah. No stuff. I mean I would be lying if I said your stuff was here- I guess I already did say that so I suppose you could say I maybe lied to you but am I really a lier because I just told you that was I lying so really no one here is lyin-" Lando rambled on on. God this is so embarrassing, what the hell is wrong with me. How can i trun it off.

"Lando what the fuck." Oscar cut off lando's... whatever that was. 

"Um. here no stuff." Okay so he shut off his brain too? Marvelous.

"Okay I'm leaving now."

"No!" Oscar turned his back to lando and started reaching for the knob. "Oscar you did leave some stuff, that is confusion in my mind! I wasn't lying really ok?" Confusion in my mind?? What is wrong with me, I knew I would be responsible for my own downfall.

"Just what are you talking about Lando?" Oscar faced him again with that trademark slight frown of his.

"I know you know what! You avoid me for no reason!" hm. Lando's plams are getting wet, infact his entire body seemed to be sweating at an alarming rate.

"Lando- I cant, look-" Oscar said with a hint of hesitation in his voice.

"No tell me, was it something I did? Because Oscar every single day I find myself missing you more and more and I can't help but beat myself up thinking of what I could have done to you. So please tell me genuinely," Lando was not going to take a bullshit excuse from Oscar of all people. He needed to know the truth, he needed to know what was going on with Oscar.

Oscar let out a sigh, "I can't tell you everything Lando. But it's better this way, for me-" he ran a hand through his hair, "-and especially for you, okay? You don't know half of what I've been going through, I hate this too but if you knew..." He trailed off in between his words.

"Just trust me Lando you don't want me around okay? It's not- you- it's just better this way," Oscar said as he once again faced the door determined to leave now.

"But is it Osc?" Lando said in a small voice.

Oscar hesitated for a moment but didn't give Lando a response and only opened the door to immediately bolt away. where to? who knows.

-

Oscar walked like a man with purpose and right now his only purpose was to get as far away from Lando as he could. Oscar never meant for it hurt Lando, he didn't even think distancing himself from him would affect the latter in any way, and he sure as hell never meant to be an asshole about it. It was just so hard to pretend he didn't care in front of Lando.

-

Lando walks into the paddock on a sunday morning, the sun is nowhere to be seen, it's cloudy and grey. Maybe a little too cloudy, it's definitely going to rain later. Lando feels a bead of sweat run down his temple. It's very humid, he feels a little sticky all over his body. He doesn't feel too enthusiastic about going on track today.

He should have thought about the negative outcomes too, like he always did. Wasn't that what he was good at, overthinking? But this was different. This was Oscar, everything nowadays was about Oscar. He's never had to think twice with Oscar, he doesn't need to and Oscar shown him once and once again that he doesn't need to overthink about Oscar ever. So that's what he did this time too and where did it lead him?

Onto the track with a pole position and no want and no hunger to win the race.

-

Podium. P1. Race winner. At Oscar's home race. When Oscar slid off track and sat in P9, he was race winner.

-

He watched the replay of the race after Oscar's incident and now all he feels is a faint sense of pride. He was marked out of the race already, his fate was written but Oscar changed that, he unlapped himself and still managed to finish in points. More than half the grid wouldn't be able to do that, heck he definitely couldn't. Oscar has always decided his own outcome, that's admirable. His Oscar, the one he loved, finished P9 but managed to make even that impressive.

-

After the race Lando saw Oscar talking with his family, all of them were consoling him and telling him how he still was remarkable. Oscar spotted Lando from from the corner of his eyes. Lando watched him as him as he excused himself from his family and walked towards him.

"Hey mate congrats on the win," Oscar said as he brought a hand up to run through his swoopy hair.

"Yeah thanks mate! Sorry about your race but honestly you were pretty cool out there, don't you think?" Lando said with the certified grin of his.

Oscar chuckled faintly, "Or so I've been told repeatedly,"

Oscar hesitated before continuing, that's become his thing these days, hesitating in front on Lando.

"I uh actully- I'm staying with my family, obviously-"

"Obviously." Lando interjected.

"-yeah. uhm I'm a bit- I do- can i stay with you tonight?"

Lando's breath hitched with Oscar's declaration, I guess no cornering needed.

"You want to?" Lando asked with a gentle tone.

"I- I need to. I reckon I've been a bit stupid."

"Well atleast you're aware-" Lando laughed and his own joke. "-yeah I'll text you the details, come by whenever."

"Thank you Lando, really," Oscar smiled as he said that.

God, the way Oscar says his name. He says it so carefully, rolling out each syllable gently. He knows his name would always be safe coming out of Oscar's mouth.

Chapter Text

The stars have aligned for little Lando Norris.

He has the perfect opportunity to talk to Oscar about his feelings. Obviously he should also reopen yesterday's conversation but that was not on today's agenda, and the twitch quartet had said something about burning Lando alive if he didn't go through with the plan and Lando does not want to fuck around and find out if they were serious about it.

He hasn't set up anything romantic in his room, he doesn't want to overwhelm Oscar and if things go south it would be very embarrassing to cry on a bed covered with rose petals.

Lando turned on the hotel television and slinked into the sheets. He browses for a while before settling to watch some trash reality show, humanity really evolved to give us these art of the state masterpieces.

After a while, a gentle knock on his door rips his laser focus from the show, you really can't blame Lando because those things manage to engage you in the worst ways possible.

He gets up and gives himself a little pep talk before opening the door.

"Okay mister charisma let's do this, you'll leave him too stunned to even speak," Lando says to himself and opens up the door to find Oscar with a tear-stained face.

"Woah mate are you alright?" Lando's whole demeanour changes in an instant as he says that.

"I was sad but now I'm fine. So tell me who is this mister charisma?" Oscar teases, all the misery now long forgotten.

"Okaaay that wasn't for you ears," Lando says with a hint of embarrassment.

"No no I'm curious now,"

"If you dont shut up I'll pass out Oscar. Just come in"

"Fine I'm sorry-" Oscar says as he steps into the surprisingly well kept hotel room, "... Lando are you sure this is your room?"

"Obviously muppet, why would I not be in my own room?"

"It's just- it's so-" Oscar places his duffle bag down and inspects the room a little more, "-clean"

"Oscar I'm going to kill you. okay? shut up," Lando said as he covered his face with his hands.

"Oh my god Lando, what are you watching?" Oscar said as he squinted his eyes at the television playing in the background.

Lando hurried over and switched the channel to something else.

"I don't think I've ever seen you work so fast Lan, impressive really,"

"Stop shaming me, I got bored," Lando said, now sitting next to Oscar on the bed with their backs to the headboard.

"Woah, no one is shaming anyone here. Put it on again I want to see what it's about."

"You won't judge," Lando said looking sceptical.

"I won't, I promise," Oscar said as he got comfortable next to Lando.

"Hmm okay," Lando said as he put the reality show back on, right when a contestant was in the middle of breaking glass items.

They turned to look at eachother and as their eyes met they both launched into uncontrollable laugher.

"What the fuck is going on Lan?" Oscar asked while fighting for air.

"I dont know!" Lando replied while looking just as breathless.

Their laughter died down and got invested in what the contestants had to say for themselves. 

"So you'll leave me too stunned to speak huh?"

"Oscar I gave you one condition! Only one!"

-

"So what you're telling us is that you're a pussy and want us to fuck off and die," Alex said with and exasperated sigh.

"When did I- I literally just said that I couldn't tell him last night!" Lando tried to defend himself.

Alex, George, Charles, and Max took the liberty to invite themselves over right after Oscar left the hotel.

Right now all four of them sat on the sofa while Lando sat on the floor in front of them pleading his case. They looked ready to burn him alive, atleast Max thought they shouldn't do that.

"We should tie him to a tree, stab him, and rub salt on his wounds," said Max.

Oh, well.

"Lando why didn't you tell him! You had the perfect opportunity!" said Charles trying to calm himself down.

"Now Charles I'm sure Lando here, had a nice reason as to why he acted like a bloody idiot," said George with a fake attempt to let Lando build his case.

"Look guys he came to the hotel looking sad and I just wanted to make him a little happier, y'know light up his mood-" Lando said as he shifted around on the floor, "-guys the floor's a little uncomfortable can I sit up there?,"

"You lost the privilege to be comfortable when you didn't come through," said Alex.

"Atleast pass me a cushion, please," Lando pleaded while caressing his ass.

"Besid-" Charles threw a cushion at his face, he couldn't even bear to look at this idiot of a man.

"Okay rude. Besides it wouldn't have gone well at the moment. He just wanted a friend and to be some place where no one was pitying him about the race!" Lando said as he placed the cushion under his butt and wiggled around to get comfortable.

"Lando you still had great stuff to work with, if you just picked the right words you could've made it a very sweet moment," said Charles with a defeated tone.

"Are you kidding me Charles-," Alex said as he looked Lando up and down with squinted eyes, "-this man couldn't pull that off for the life of him,"

"Well said Alex, I absolutely agree-" George said as he slapped his palms on his knees and got up, "-he can't even follow a few simple instructions how do you expect him to act on a whim and improvise,"

"So Charles and I will be heading back, we have plans for today-" Max spoke up already having given up on Lando, and walked across the room to get a bottle of water, "-you two want to get a ride back together?"

"Yeah sure let's go," Alex said as both Charles and him got up to walk towards the gate. 

"Wait guys! You can't just leave me! I'm sorry!" Lando yelled as all four of them started to walk out of the room leaving Lando alone, sitting on the floor.

"Really I'll do it one of these days, I swear!" Lando said to the retreating figures.

-

Oscar walks into the paddock on a nice sunday morning, the sun is shining bright. It's just bright enough to make Oscar a bit more delightful. The weather felt nice and sitting on p1 for his another home race felt nice too.

Today Oscar had many reasons to feel nice, he had a good feeling about the race and he had some grade A intel, courtesy of *redacted*, which he definitely planned on acting on after the race.

Oscar is a very simple guy, he doesn't believe in dilly-dallying, of course this sounds hypocritical of him. He also doesnt like hypocrisy. 

Ironic.

Oscar however, does believe he had a fair set of reasons to give Lando the cold shoulder, he didn't want to be the weird teammate and make work uncomfortable for both of them. So, Oscar took the initiative to avoid such a situation from arising by giving Lando the idea that Oscar felt repulsed by even looking at the latter.

"Hey mate," said Lando as caught up to Oscar on the walk towards the motor home and patted him on the back.

"Fuck hey," Oscar said a bit startled. "don't sneak up on me like that I thought you were an assassin or something,"

Lando pulled down his sunglasses to look at Oscar, "Osc why would an assassin be at a paddock, no one wants to kill you. Wait does someone?"

"No I mean it could happen you know, the chances of that happening are not that low,"

"They are low!" Lando exclaimed as they reached the motor home and Oscar walked away from him.

"Are not! See you later," said Oscar as he headed to his drivers room.

-

Oscar Piastri, race winner.

-

After the podium celebrations Oscar ran back to his drivers room to make sure everything he had set up beforehand was still in the same pristine condition he left it in.

The room was pretty small so he had to improvise a bit. When he opens the door, there are flower petals thrown onto the floor, there is a little foldable chair in the centre of that flowery craze. One plain white candle, and when the door closes, on the backside of the door is a chart that read 'Be Mine?'.

As Oscar looked at his... decorations, he realised that this was going to be a disaster. Lando was not a person that could be easily impressed, he was very picky about such stuff. This set up that Oscar had was amateur at best, he knew he should have just asked Charles for help.

Right now Oscar couldn't afford to panic and back out, it was too late. He had already sent Lando a text to come over to his room telling him to be prepared to be amazed.

What the fuck was Oscar thinking? Prepare to be amazed? Who even says that?

Knock. Knock.

"Osc, you in there mate?" Lando's gentle voice snapped him out of his panicked little trance.

"Come in!" Oscar said as he switched off the lights and sat down on the stupid looking foldable chair, facing the door with the stupid candle in his hand.

Lando opened the door and stopped in his tracks for a second. A little smile decorated his face. He stepped in and closed the door behind him, eyes only locked with Oscar's.

"What is this you muppet?" Lando asked Oscar with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I've been wanting to this for way too long now, Lando Norris," Oscar said as he got up and came closer to Lando, "I've been smitten with you since my first day here and not a day has gone by where I didn't want to hold you in my hands and just freeze in time,"

"Osc I like you too, romantically-" Lando said with a playful grin,"-but this room is giving a 'let's sacrifice someone today' vibe,"

"Okay Lando shut up, turn around," Oscar says as he reaches out his arm from behind Lando to brighten up his sign.

"Be min- Oscar what cheesy movies have you been watching?" Lando turned his face around to look at Oscar.

"I tried my best! Seriously," Oscar said as he blew out the candle and turned the lights back on.

"It's okay. I have a lot to teach you, and all of the time in the world to teach you," Lando said as he turned around to face Oscar and gave him a small peck on his lips.

"Now tell me which one of them meddled," Lando said as he started playing around with Oscar's hair.

"Oh they just added me to a group-" Oscar brought up his hands to Lando's curls to do the same, "- called 'lando is a dickhead' and told me to grow a pair and ask you out,"

"Of course they did,"

-